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Kelly Clarkson stood on the precipice of momentous change as she began work on her seventh studio album.
What would become Piece by Piece, which marked its 10th anniversary on Feb. 27, served as the Fort Worth native’s final installment of the record deal she had signed with RCA Records 13 years before upon winning the inaugural season of American Idol in 2002.
Clarkson was also winding down her first decade of pop stardom, a span of years that saw her encounter seemingly the full spectrum of experiences: Publicly feuding with the then-head of her label over her 2007 album My December; touring with heroines (Reba McEntire) and contemporaries (Maroon 5, The Fray); winning Grammys and selling, up to this point, just over 17 million records worldwide.
Clarkson was also on the verge of becoming a mother for the first time, pregnant with her daughter River Rose, whom she shared with then-husband Brandon Blackstock.
Overall, it was a transitional time, a moment to reflect and look ahead.
Piece by Piece mirrors that shift from hungry young star to enduring, established talent. Although the record spawned only three charting singles (“Heartbeat Song,” “Invincible” and its title track), it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and ultimately sold more than 500,000 copies in the U.S. alone.
The material rarely strays from the mid-tempo, blindingly glossy pop considerably elevated by Clarkson’s peerless, multi-octave voice. The grit and weight of her gift make even something as formless and inane as the stuttery, vaguely EDM-ish “Invincible” (sample lyric: “Beat down on me, beat down like a waterfall / Cause I can take on so much more than I had ever dreamed”) feel like life-affirming.
(One interesting, mildly tangential piece of local music history beyond Clarkson’s roots in North Texas: The deluxe edition of Piece featured “Second Wind,” a song co-written by Maren Morris, who was then about a year away from her major label debut, Hero, which would feature Morris’ version of “Wind.” Morris contributed backing vocals to Clarkson’s rendition.)
A Soundtrack Minus a Movie
Contemporary interviews suggest Clarkson conceived of Piece as something akin to a film’s soundtrack, with different songs meant to evoke specific moods or scenes.
“I did know with this record – I was talking to Greg [Kurstin] and Jesse [Shatkin] and Jason [Halbert], the other producers,” Clarkson told Spin magazine in 2015. “I was like, ‘I want each song to sound like its own soundtrack.’ I love soundtracks, and I love how you can tell, ‘Oh, this should be in a soundtrack!’ You can picture the movie. I definitely wanted the orchestral elements going on, and I definitely wanted the intense factor going on.
“I’ve always been that way – nothing really changed. I love empowering songs and anthems, and I think that’s pretty clear.”
It’s a matter of opinion whether Clarkson succeeded – I’d argue that approach seems more like an artist trying to retrofit a handful of songs that don’t have a through line – but what Piece is perhaps best known for now is the truly extraordinary live performance of its title track in 2016 on the 15th season finale of American Idol, which famously brought both Clarkson, pregnant with her daughter, and then-judge Keith Urban to tears. (Clarkson, being no fool, included the version on Piece‘s deluxe edition.)
The profoundly moving moment helped further crystallize Clarkson’s singular talent, underlining how she built a fervent audience and why she has endured well beyond the temporary high of a televised singing competition.
“Piece by Piece,” which Clarkson co-wrote with producer Greg Kurstin, is not the first time Clarkson reckoned with the tumult and pain of her youth (“Because of You” is perhaps the best-known example). Still, it may be the finest example of her harnessing unfathomable hurt in service of a genuinely moving anthem about breaking the cycle of parental harm. (That it was also, at the time, a sweet ode to Clarkson’s then-husband is a fact that has aged less well.)
Having stepped into the next phase of her life and career, Clarkson followed Piece with two more studio albums: 2017’s Meaning of Life and last year’s Chemistry (tucked in between was her second seasonal album, 2021’s When Christmas Comes Around …). She has expanded her remit to encompass children’s literature and, chiefly, daytime talk show host, beginning her eponymous chat show in 2019.
While much was made of Chemistry, in particular, being the sort of unvarnished emotional excavation at which Clarkson excels, there was also a sense of it being, perhaps, too soon – too near, even – for her to dig into that failed relationship and see it for what it was and what it was not.
Piece by Piece showed, especially on its searing title track, that given enough time and distance, Kelly Clarkson can level you with the force of her insight, creating the kind of change in perspective that can alter your appreciation for an artist and transform a career.
