Kelly Clarkson is preparing for a highly anticipated return to music with the release of her new album, Chemistry, which is set to be her first major project since her 2020 divorce from Brandon Blackstock. While Clarkson has spent years sharing her personal life and emotions through her music, she recently revealed the nervousness she feels as she prepares to release this deeply personal album.
In a candid conversation on On-Air With Ryan Seacrest on March 29, Kelly explained that, while she is not worried about sharing her vulnerability in her lyrics, she is more apprehensive about the personal nature of the album. “I’m more nervous on a personal level with everyone in my world,” she admitted. “I’ve always written with a vulnerable heart, so I’m very open. But I think I’m just more nervous on a personal note because it’s one of those things where I’m going to have to keep talking about it and keep performing.”
This album marks a new chapter for Clarkson, following her divorce from Blackstock after nearly seven years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in March 2022, and the upcoming release will be Clarkson’s first album since the separation.
As Clarkson explained, she did not want to reduce the album to a simple emotional state, like anger or sadness. Instead, she wanted to capture the full spectrum of emotions that encompass a relationship, from beginning to end. “This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship,” she shared. “A whole relationship shouldn’t be just brought down to one thing. So there’s the good, the bad, and the ugly kind of thing going on in it.”
Even before the album began to take shape, Clarkson had alluded to the fact that her next project would be incredibly personal. In a 2020 interview, just after filing for divorce, she mentioned that the album would be “probably the most personal one I’ve ever released.” She also described it as a musical exploration of every emotion one experiences in a relationship — from its joyous beginnings to its painful end. “It’s been very therapeutic for me,” she confessed.
Much of the album was created in the aftermath of her divorce, with Clarkson and her producer working together to capture the raw emotion of that difficult time. As she recalled in a September 2022 interview, “When my ex and I first separated, there were many emotions. It was hard. My producer and I were laughing yesterday because I was like, ‘Remember that time we wrote, like, 25 songs in a week?’ A lot of those are the ones that are on the album.” Clarkson revealed that she had written most of the songs nearly two years ago but chose to hold off on releasing them until she had fully processed her emotions.
Though Clarkson has not yet revealed the exact release date of Chemistry, the album promises to be a reflection of her journey, filled with a mix of joy, heartbreak, and healing. While Kelly remains nervous about sharing such personal content with the world, she’s ready for her fans to experience the emotional depth of her musical comeback.