We fell in love with her on the first season of American Idol in 2002 where she managed to not only peak our interest but keep our interest through three albums and a brief detour to drama land. Kelly Clarkson has been laying low since her 2007 album My December which, while artistically noteworthy, didn’t translate well in the commercial mainstream and as a result performed poorly on the charts. Despite the album’s disappointing performance many Clarkson fans seemed further intrigued by the bubbly pop cutie who revealed her darker side on the album – your favorite artist is just as screwed up as you, that’s awesome. Now over six years after she sang her way into our hearts via our living room televisions, Kelly Clarkson is poised for a comeback as she greets pop music fans with a little pop treat – and what a yummy treat it is.
As Kelly prepares to release her fourth album titled All I Ever Wanted it is becoming increasingly obvious that her latest efforts will show a step back from the rockier dark side with a push towards a sound that is reminiscent of the more bop around pop that catapulted her to the top in the first place. Is she still screwed up? Of course, but this time around we will probably be able to sing along in the car without receiving disturbed looks from the UPS driver at the stoplight.
The first single from her upcoming album “My Life Would Suck Without You” (co-written and produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke) is a fierce tune accentuated by her signature killer vocals. With her first single Kelly comes out swinging with a playful yet solid hit featuring strong vocals, catchy lyrics, and an undeniably bopable beat – and if you’re like me, it just might make you chuckle. It’s hard to fight the urge to sing along, even if you don’t know the lyrics. Now, is the song groundbreaking? No, but it doesn’t matter; the timing is perfect. In this day and time it’s songs like this and artists like Kelly Clarkson who provide us with that much needed 3-minute escape to dance around and sing into our hairbrushes.
Apparently pop music fans are in agreement on Kelly’s first single, as “My Life Would Suck Without You” is already breaking records fresh out the gate. The single—with first week digital download numbers hitting 280,000—recently broke the record for the biggest leap to No. 1 in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In its second week on the chart the single took a massive leap from 97-1, snatching the tiara from Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” which previously held the record when it leapt from 96-1. The single also brought a breath of fresh air to the chart, which over the past few weeks had become quite dull with the same ol’, same ol’ and lack of excitement.
Pop Music fans are excited, and once again Kelly Clarkson has our attention. Will she keep it? Only time will tell. Her new album All I Ever Wanted will be released on March 10th. In the meantime we can watch her throw stuff out a window (playfully, of course) in her new music video for “My Life Would Suck Without You”.
