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Kelly Clarkson: New Album, ‘Chemistry’ Is About Past Relationship

Kelly Clarkson is coming out with a new album, six years after 2017’s The Meaning of Life. The singer-songwriter shared new details about her latest record, including the title and…

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson attends NBC’s “American Song Contest” Semi-Finals at Universal Studios Hollywood on April 25, 2022 in Universal City, California.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson is coming out with a new album, six years after 2017's The Meaning of Life. The singer-songwriter shared new details about her latest record, including the title and its inspiration. Clarkson, 40, revealed on Twitter Sunday (March 26): "It is officially time to tell you that I've been working on this project for close to three years now. I wasn't sure I was going to release it, but I am."

The talk show host revealed the album's title, Chemistry. She didn't want "everybody" to think that her emotions could just be summed up as angry or sad. She explained, "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, the ugly thing kinda going on in it."

"Chemistry can be a really amazing sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you," she added in the video announcement. "I thought it was kinda the perfect title to describe the entire album." While she didn't disclose an exact release date, the "Breakaway" singer said the album is "coming out soon," with singles from the record dropping "even sooner."

On Monday morning, Clarkson also shared that she's headed to Las Vegas for a 10-show residency starting July 28. The dates are: July: 28 and 29 and August 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 18 and 19. Tickets go on sale March 31.

Last September, Clarkson opened up about the new "important album" in an interview with Variety. "I'm working on this in therapy — I have a hard time vocalizing what I'm feeling sometimes, so music is helpful for me. It's just been really healing. I recorded the record quite some time ago."

After nearly seven years of marriage, Clarkson filed for divorce from Brandon Blackstock, citing irreconcilable differences, in June 2020. She seemingly began creating the album shortly afterward, telling Variety it's been in the works for "two years."

She told the publication at the time, "When my ex and I first separated, there were many emotions. It was hard." She added that she and her producer were laughing because she wrote a whopping 25 songs in one week. Though it was funny, the American Idol alum said many of them made the cut on the upcoming album.

Detailing the album's subject matter, she continued, "So some of the songs, they definitely cover the gamut of emotions; there's everything on the album. It's almost like the arc of a relationship because the beginning is so beautiful and so sweet, and then it evolves. And sometimes it doesn't evolve how you want."

Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.