For the past several years, Kelly Clarkson has been blessing audiences with her stunning covers of songs on her eponymous talk show, but the time has finally come for the very first American idol to release original music. Clarkson’s long-awaited tenth album, Chemistry, will be released later this year, she revealed on social media on Sunday. The project has been three years in the making. “I wasn’t sure I was going to release it, but I am,†Clarkson said, before delving into the meaning behind the album title. “I was trying to find a word — also, it might be one of the songs on the album — that really described the whole thing,†she explained, “I didn’t want everybody to think I was just coming out with some ‘I’m angry’ or ‘I’m sad,’ just one or two emotions. This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship.†Clarkson separated from her ex-husband and former manager Brandon Blackstock in 2020, and she previously told Variety that her upcoming album would “cover the gamut of emotions.â€
Clarkson reiterated in her announcement that the album would span “the good, the bad and the ugly†of “that whole relationship.†She added, “Chemistry can be a really amazing, sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you.†Chemistry marks Clarkson’s first album of entirely new material since 2017’s The Meaning of Life (she put out a Christmas album in 2021 and the Kellyoke EP in 2022). Fans will have to wait, as the album doesn’t have an official release date yet, but remember: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.