Pregnant Kelly Clarkson Breaks Down Singing on 'American Idol' Stage about Father Who Abandoned Her
If you’ve paid any attention to pop culture, you know who Kelly Clarkson is. At the age of 20 she won the very first American Idol season and has gone on to be an extremely successful pop artist. When people compete on American Idol, they dream to have the career that she has had.
In 2015 she returned to the American Idol stage to perform “Piece by Piece,” an emotional song in which she opened up about her relationship with her father.
Her parents divorced when Kelly was only 6 years old. While she has tried to reach out in the past, she never had much of a relationship with her father, describing it as “humiliating.”
She doesn’t hold any ill feelings towards him. She said, “I know a lot of people go, ‘Aww,’ but it’s not really that situation. I think If you don’t grow up with it, it’s hard to miss something you never had.”
One day, Kelly was talking to her sister on the phone about their father and how it could’ve affected their future families. She realized just how lucky she was to find her husband, Brandon Blackstock, who has been extremely involved in their children’s lives- something that has sparked healing in Kelly’s own life.
“Piece by Piece” isn’t the first time Kelly has written about her relationship with her father. In 2004, she released the song “Because of You” in which Kelly talks about breaking cycles within her family.
The music video opens with Kelly fighting with her husband in front of their daughter until another little girl (a younger version of Kelly) walks in. This younger version of Kelly acts as a “Ghost of Christmas Past” of sorts and walks older Kelly through scenes of her parents fighting — even showing a heartbreaking moment of her father packing his bags and driving away.
She sings, “Because of you I’m ashamed of my life because it’s empty. Because of you I am afraid.”
In an interview with MTV, Kelly described “Because of You” and the reality it addresses. “It’s important for people to see that raw kind of emotion that happens in life,” she said. “It sucks sometimes, so it’s important to see that.”
With her new song, Kelly showed that she is optimistic for the future of her family thanks to her husband. When you listen to the two songs back to back, you can see just how much healing has happened in the 11 years in between them as she journeyed from brokenness to hope.
“Piece by piece, he restored my faith that a man can be kind and a father could stay,” Kelly sang.
During her performance on American Idol, it was difficult for her to get through the song without showing her emotions. Even the judges weren’t able to hold back their tears.
Kelly described the emotions that were going through her mind, “It’s not even sad tears; it’s just such a beautiful thing that I have found. It’s completely magical because there’s a little part of me that didn’t even know that it existed. I knew that this kind of love existed and that other people found it, but it’s such a breathtaking moment.”
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