Kelly Clarkson's Divorce Album is Coming

In her new Variety cover story, the star revealed that she’s been sitting on something besides her The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Voice chairs for the past two years — a brand new album.

The project, which will be her first (non-Christmas) album in five years, is set to release in 2023. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it will be about Clarkson’s recently finalized divorce from industry manager Brandon Blackstock. Clarkson revealed to Variety that she wrote most of the album’s songs in 2020 after filing to end the pair’s seven-year-long marriage.

“When my ex and I first separated, there were many emotions,” Clarkson told Variety. “My producer and I were laughing yesterday because I was like, ‘Remember that time we wrote, like, 25 songs in a week?’”

The busy singer also told the publication that she wasn’t sure if the songs would ever see the light of day:

“And then I didn’t know if I was going to release it, because you can be very angry in that state of mind. 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.”

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Clarkson also confirmed that she will be touring with this album, citing Harry Styles, The Chicks and Ray LaMontagne’s live shows as inspiration for her return to the road.

“I sing almost every day because of the show, even though it’s always other people’s music,” the singer said. “But when you write an album that’s so personal, it’s just therapeutic to be able to get up there.”

And if you don’t think you can hold out until next year? Besides revisiting the classics (*cough* Breakaway *cough*), you can also stream the artist’s soon-to-be-released “9 to 5” duet with Dolly Parton, which comes out September 9.

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