\n<\/p>\n
Kelly Clarkson<\/strong><\/a> is no stranger to a breakup anthem, but her new music hits different<\/a> following her messy divorce<\/a> from Brandon Blackstock<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Us Weekly<\/em> confirmed in June 2020 that the American Idol<\/em> alum filed to legally end her marriage<\/a> to the manager. The twosome, who started dating in 2011, wed in 2013.<\/p>\n \u201cThey clashed on so many levels, and being in quarantine together [during the coronavirus pandemic] heightened their problems to the point of no return,\u201d an insider told Us<\/em> at the time.<\/p>\n The pair \u2014 who share daughter River (born June 2014) and son Remington<\/a> (in April 2016) \u2014 subsequently entered a messy court battle over finances, property and custody of their kids. It would be nearly two years before they finalized their divorce,<\/a> with the Grammy winner agreeing to pay Blackstock $45,601 a month in child support until River and Remi \u201creach the age of eighteen,\u201d graduate high school or otherwise become self-supporting. She was also ordered to pay monthly spousal support of $115,000 until January 2024 and a one-time, tax-free fee of $1,326,161.<\/p>\n While Clarkson was granted primary custody of the children, the \u201cSince U Been Gone\u201d singer and Blackstock share joint physical custody.<\/p>\n As she navigated changes in her personal life, The Kelly Clarkson Show<\/em><\/a> host penned her 10th studio album.<\/p>\n \u201cMy producer and I were laughing yesterday because I was like, \u2018Remember that time we wrote, like, 25 songs in a week?\u2019 A lot of those are the ones that are on the album,\u201d Clarkson told Variety<\/em> in June 2022. \u201cI literally wrote most of these almost two years ago. Then I told my label, \u2018I can\u2019t talk about this until I\u2019ve gone through it,\u2019 and it\u2019s just taken some time to do that. That\u2019s one of the reasons we\u2019ve done a lot of Christmas stuff the past two years \u2014 because I was like, \u2018Well, that\u2019s happy!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In March 2023, she confirmed the title \u2014 Chemistry<\/em> \u2014 is reflective of her past romance.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been working on this project for close to three years now. I wasn\u2019t sure I was going to release it, but I am. The album is called Chemistry<\/em>,\u201d she revealed via Instagram. \u201cI was trying to find a word, it might be one of the songs on the album, but I was trying to find a word that really described the whole thing. I didn\u2019t want everybody to think I was just coming out with some \u2018I\u2019m angry,\u2019 \u2018I\u2019m sad\u2019 \u2014 just one or two emotions. This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship. That whole relationship shouldn\u2019t be brought down to one thing. There\u2019s the good, the bad and the ugly kind of thing going on. Chemistry can be a really amazing, sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you. So that\u2019s why I named it Chemistry, I thought it was the perfect title to describe the entire album.\u201d<\/p>\n Chemistry<\/em> dropped on Friday, June 23, and Us<\/em> is breaking down the most-telling lyrics:<\/p>\n Clarkson tackles navigating a highly publicized split, singing: \u201cAre you happy now? Will you ever be \/ And it\u2019s all over town, \u2018Why did she leave him?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n After the second verse, she adds, \u201cIf I could escape all this gossip and shame, oh, I would \/ What it\u2019s gonna take to get me through this break is no good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, you can have the towels \/ You can take my money \/ Drag my name \u2019round town \/ I don\u2019t mind, I changed it anyway,\u201d Clarkson sings, referring to the hefty divorce settlement and her decision to legally change her name. Us<\/em> confirmed that she not only dropped \u201cBlackstock,\u201d but tweaked her name to Kelly Brianne<\/a>, still going by Kelly Clarkson professionally.<\/p>\n In the chorus<\/a>, Clarkson seemingly references their fight over their Montana ranch<\/a>. While she wished to sell the property from the beginning, a court ordered that Blackstock \u2014 who testified that he wanted to leave the entertainment industry to pursue a career as a full-time rancher \u2014 was responsible for the costs of the Montana land and Clarkson could only sell if he failed to make the payments. He was given a 5.12 percent share \u2014equaling $908,800 of its total $17,750,000 value.<\/p>\n \u201cSo run your mouth, puff your chest \/ Play cowboy in the wild, wild west,\u201d she sings. \u201cI don\u2019t mind, take what\u2019s left \/ High road livin\u2019 is what I do best.\u201d<\/p>\n During an NYC performance in June 2023,<\/a> Clarkson admitted she was \u201creally angry\u201d when she penned this song, adding that it\u2019s about when \u201cyou can\u2019t stand the person, but you, like, you love them and you\u2019re just like, \u2018Why?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hate love \/ And The Notebook<\/em> lied \/ It\u2019s Complicated<\/em> is more like what happens \/ So you can keep Gosling<\/strong><\/a> and I\u2019ll take Steve Martin<\/strong><\/a>,\u201d she sings, comparing iconic romance movie The Notebook<\/em> to Meryl Streep<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s messy love triangle with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin<\/strong><\/a>) and new love interest (Martin) in the film It\u2019s Complicated.<\/em><\/p>\n She appears to slam Blackstock for his winnings in their divorce again the chorus: \u201cBeatin\u2019 my head against a wall \/ Little by little, you took it all \/ Love\u2019s no friend of mine \/ Countin\u2019 your bl\u0435ssings on my back.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarkson sings about the other side of chemistry in this track: \u201cYou\u2019re my favorite kind of high \/ Rushin\u2019 through me like a fire \/ And I need you to know \/ I say I won\u2019t, but I do \/ When it comes to lovin\u2019 you \/ I don\u2019t have no control \/ You\u2019re my favorite kind of high.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarkson sings about an ex crossing a line and stealing her shine \u2014 \u201cI hope one day someone will take your heart and hold it tight \/ Make you feel like you\u2019re invincible deep inside \/ And right when you think that it\u2019s perfect, they cross a line \/ And steal your shine like you did mine\u201d \u2014 which may refer to the messy legal battle with Brandon and his dad, Narvel Blackstock<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n The performer was sued by Narvel\u2019s Starstruck Management Group \u2014 who managed her for more than 13 years \u2014 in 2020, alleging Clarkson owed Starstruck $1.4 million and an apparent $5.4 million in future commissions. Clarkson responded to the suit, which is ongoing, by alleging Starstruck company violated California Labor Code.<\/p>\n In the chorus, she references the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind<\/em>, which follows Kate Winslet<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Clementine erasing her memories of her ex after their split: \u201cGo ahead and break my heart, that\u2019s fine (So unkind) \/ Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (Oh, love is blind) \/ Why am I missin\u2019 you tonight? (Was it all a lie?) \/ Someone\u2019s gonna show you how a heart can be used.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarkson\u2019s lyrics include a reference to an ex\u2019s insecurities being the \u201cdeath\u201d of their relationship. A source previously told Us<\/em> that the twosome were \u201con the rocks for a long time,\u201d adding: \u201cShe was the high-income earner with a wildly successful talk show, and is the star of another hit show The Voice<\/em>. Brandon was extremely jealous<\/a> of it and made her know it.\u201d<\/p>\n In the chorus, she seemingly backtracks on the lyrics in her 2015 song \u201cPiece By Piece,\u201d<\/a> in which she gave Blackstock credit for helping her feel whole after her father\u2019s abandonment. In \u201cMe,\u201d she declares she can fix herself: \u201cI don\u2019t need somebody to hold me \/ Don\u2019t need somebody to love me \/ Don\u2019t need somebody to pick these pieces up \/ I put together my broken \/ Let go of the pain I\u2019v\u0435 been holdin\u2019 \/ Don\u2019t need to need somebody \/ When I got me.\u201d<\/p>\n While Clarkson has been candid about her divorce in various interviews, she\u2019s mindful of how that might affect her kids, and in \u201cHigh Road,\u201d she sings about struggling behind the scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just my ego and my pride \/ I live my life in disguise,\u201d the bridge states. \u201cAnd when I\u2019m hurtin\u2019, it\u2019s incognito \/ So everybody thinks I\u2019m a hero.\u201d<\/p>\n During her promotion of the album, the Voice<\/em> coach has opened up about both sides of feeling chemistry with someone, and in the track with the same title as the album, she sings about that initial connection.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t help but want you, help but love you \/ Help me, someone erase my heart,\u201d the chorus states. \u201cI\u2019ve been broken into, how\u2019d you get in here? \/ Now you\u2019re somethin\u2019 that I just can\u2019t resist.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Variety<\/em><\/a>, Clarkson declared that \u201cMagic\u201d is her \u201cfavorite song on the record,\u201d explaining the track is dedicated to people who have \u201cever felt like, \u2018My relationship didn\u2019t work out right, but if I die tomorrow, I have felt magic.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith your eyes on me, I start to tremble \/ Always you, has been forever,\u201d she sings. \u201cBlurring lines I can\u2019t remember \/ Fighting words I wanna tell ya.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarkson referred to \u201cLighthouse\u201d as \u201cpossibly the saddest song I\u2019ve ever written,\u201d per Variety<\/em>, singing about walking away from a relationship \u201cin order to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t got no shine left, I couldn\u2019t hide it \/ I almost lost all my light, and She continues in the chorus: \u201cNo shootin\u2019 stars can fix what we aren\u2019t \/ What good\u2019s a lighthouse when the light is burning out?\u201d<\/p>\n Back in April, she explained of the track: \u201cI needed to get this song out. I wrote most of these songs at 35,000 feet in the air when it was dark on a plane, taking my kids back and forth, and it was exhausting \u2014 emotionally, mentally, physically, all the things \u2014 while working, and while processing what\u2019s going on and what I\u2019m gonna do. I wrote this song and I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t think I should release this. People are gonna be like, is she OK?\u2019 And I wasn\u2019t \u2014 then. But I\u2019m good now.\u201d<\/p>\n While it\u2019s clear that Clarkson is declaring her romance with Blackstock wasn\u2019t the real deal in this song, she told Billboard<\/em><\/a> about the lyrics comparing her ex to the late actor \u2014 who was privately gay and died of AIDS \u2014 can be \u201cmisleading.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were my Rock Hudson \/ It was real, but it wasn\u2019t \/ No, I never saw it comin\u2019 \/ I was never what you wanted,\u201d she sings in the song. \u201cLike a real-life movie \/ Didn\u2019t think it\u2019d happen to me \/ Guess it didn\u2019t, you just fooled me \/ Who knew love was so confusin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to Billboard<\/em>, she noted: \u201cIt\u2019s not referencing Rock\u2019s life, like his personal life and what he was, unfortunately, having to hide from the public. \u2026 My producer didn\u2019t have a clue about [Hudson\u2019s] story at all, and I wasn\u2019t even thinking about that. \u2026 It\u2019s just about having that movie life that people think that you have that\u2019s so perfect, and it\u2019s not [perfect] behind closed doors.\u201d<\/p>\n In the song, she calls back to \u201cPiece By Piece\u201d again \u2014 and this time she\u2019s even more on the nose. \u201cBy the way, piece by piece \/ I found out my hero\u2019s me,\u201d the bridge reads.<\/p>\n The songwriter sings about a partner having feelings for someone else.<\/p>\n \u201cImagination\u2019s actin\u2019 up again (Oh) \/ You ripped out pages, then you spoiled the end (Oh) \/ Fallin\u2019 into love, that ain\u2019t no excuse,\u201d the lyrics read. \u201cWhy\u2019d it take a stranger to break the news? \/ I get no prize for bein\u2019 innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n The chorus makes reference to marriage vows: \u201cMust\u2019ve been my mistake \/ Swore I heard you say you\u2019d be mine always (Always) \/ Oh, it must\u2019v\u0435 been my mistake \/ Swore I heard you say \u2019til your dyin\u2019 day \/ You would lov\u0435 me always.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarkson\u2019s final track reiterates that Blackstock can \u201ckeep the money\u201d as she\u2019ll \u201ctake freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock<\/span> Matt Baron\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u2018Skip This Part\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Red Flag Collector\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018I Hate Love\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Favorite of High\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Mine\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Me\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018High Road\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Chemistry\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Magic\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Lighthouse\u2019<\/h2>\n
I didn\u2019t choose sober, but my eyes can\u2019t look away,\u201d the lyrics read. \u201cI see our true colors; lately, we\u2019ve been lookin\u2019 gray.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2018Rock Hudson\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018My Mistake\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018That\u2019s Right\u2019<\/h2>\n