Kelly Clarkson Had A Drawn Out Divorce From Brandon Blackstock. Her New Album Won’t Be Just About The Heartbreak

Kelly Clarkson is shown on The Voice.
(Image credit: NBC)

A lot has happened in Kelly Clarkson’s life over the past few years: She’s taken her Emmy-winning talk show to new heights, won a season of The Voice and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But without a doubt the biggest thing that the singer has endured was the end of her marriage and the long, difficult divorce from Brandon Blackstock. Naturally those emotions will be on display when Clarkson’s long-awaited new album drops, but according to the OG American Idol champion, fans can expect a lot more than heartbreak when Chemistry is released.

Fans got an cheeky update when it came to who is Kelly Clarkson dating, as well as the new album expected sometime this year, and while she still didn’t provide an exact date for when we’ll hear some of her new tunes, she did reveal the album — and one of the tracks — will be named Chemistry. She has admitted to writing a crazy number of songs when she was going through her divorce, but explained on Instagram that she chose that album title because it encompassed the full scope of a relationship and not just the end. In her words: 

I didn’t want everybody to think I was just coming out with some just like, ‘I’m angry, I’m sad,’ like just one or two emotions, you know? This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship, and 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. Chemistry can be a really amazing, sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you.

Consider me sold! It’s understandable why the process of putting this album together has been so difficult, especially walking the line between expressing her honest emotions but still protecting the two children she shares with Brandon Blackstock. But some of the best songs are heartbreak songs, and I’m ready for Kelly Clarkson to take me on that emotional journey. I’m also intrigued by this “sexy, cool, fun” but “bad for you” chemistry!

You can see Kelly Clarkson’s full announcement below:

She said we can expect to see the album “soon,” with music from Chemistry being released “even sooner.” It’s a little disappointing to not have anything more concrete to go on, but as The Kelly Clarkson Show host pointed out, this has been three years in the making, so we should be able to wait a little bit longer.

Kelly Clarkson said she’s nervous but excited about this next step, and who could blame her? Her divorce from Brandon Blackstock took nearly two years to finalize, as proceedings were wrought with lawsuits, custody battles and fights over their assets. Specifically, the singer’s ranch in Montana was quite the point of contention, and even after a judge declared Clarkson the legal owner and ordered Blackstock to move off the property, he continued to make demands

While we try to remain patient for her new music, Kelly Clarkson can still be seen weekday afternoons on her talk show (check your local listings for broadcast information). She’s also back serving as a coach on The Voice, where — if the rumors are to be believed — she’s having a bit of trouble with her ex-mother-in-law Reba McEntire, who is serving as Season 23’s Mega Mentor. New episodes air at 8 p.m. ET Mondays and 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on NBC, and you can check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other shows are premiering soon. 

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.