Her new album, 'Chemistry,' tells a deeply personal story and will be released in full on June 23.
Kelly Clarkson is lifting the curtain on her creative process as she continues to open up about the inspiration behind her fiery new singles.
"It was a very personal record," Clarkson said of Chemistry, out June 23, which she hints is a retelling of her relationship with her now ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.
"It was very good for me to be able to experience the whole relationship on this album, because to diminish something to just bad would be a disservice," the singer-songwriter continued in an Instagram Live, shared to The Kelly Clarkson Show YouTube channel.
To give fans their first taste of the full length, Clarkson released not one but two singles -- "Mine" and "Me."
"'Mine,' particularly, was important for me to have songs like that," Clarkson said. "It was very helpful to pull myself out of the gutter that I was living in, 'cause, you know, your whole world changes and you're like, 'I didn't see that coming.'"
She continued, "It's very important to remember the good as well and not just sit in the crappy."
In "Mine," Clarkson sings, "I can't believe I stayed as long as I stayed," before expressing her wishes for her ex.
"I hope one day someone will take your heart and hold it tight / Make you feel like you're invincible deep inside / And right when you think that it's perfect they cross a line / And steal your shine / Like you did mine," she belts out.
Clarkson also shared a behind-the-scenes look at how she was preparing to bring the song to the stage for a live performance on her eponymous talk show.
As for "Me," a collaborative effort with her labelmate, Gayle, Clarkson reveals that Gayle had written the first verse and a chorus before someone at their label sent the material to Clarkson. She related so deeply to the content, she said, "I literally got the song, the idea, and then I finished it that night."
"Lovеd you so much, took an army to pull me up / But now on the other side, I remembered I could fly," Clarkson sings in the second verse, which she explained relates directly to her own split. "I told you I wanted you (I told you) / But you needed me to need you (Needed me to need you) / Your insecurity was the death of you and me (Oh)."
"I was very worried about it because I didn't know if I'd want to talk about it all the time, 'cause I don't enjoy that," Clarkson said of putting her personal life so boldly on display. "But I think that it's very important to still be the same artist I've been my whole career, which is very open and honest."
She continued, "Also, look, several songs didn't make the cut because they were maybe too honest, so I filtered myself. I put out the songs -- these 14 songs I feel like are relatable for anyone. It's not so pointed just at, like, me and what I'm going through."
While Clarkson is hoping that her fans love the new music, which was written and recorded years ago while she was in the thick of her breakup, she is also sending out love to those feeling like her lyrics hit a little too close to home.
"First of all, if you're saying 'I relate,' I'm sorry," she said. "I also get the connection, so I'm grateful for that. That's the whole point."
Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June of 2020. The former couple had tied the knot in October 2013 and share two children together, 8-year-old daughter River and 7-year-old son Remington. Clarkson cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce filing.
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