Kelly Clarkson has enlisted the help of daughter River Rose for her new song “You Don’t Make Me Cry.”
Clarkson, 41, released the song on Friday, September 22, as a bonus track on the deluxe version of her latest album, Chemistry. River, 9, provided some auto-tuned background vocals for the song and adorably says, “The end,” when the tune comes to a close.
In the chorus, Clarkson sings about someone who doesn’t have the power to make her emotional.
“You don’t make me cry and I cry at everything / You don’t make me feel and I feel more than most now. That says somethin’, doesn’t it? / So, I’m pickin’ you from my garden, weeds aren’t allowed in, guess you missed that song,” the lyrics read.
Clarkson previously shared the spotlight with River during a concert in Las Vegas last month. The proud mom later teased that her official collaboration with her daughter had been a long time coming.
“Can’t wait for y’all to hear the other songs on the deluxe, especially River Rose’s feature. She was 5yrs old when she was layin down tracks for ‘you don’t make me cry’ ❤️,” she wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, September 20.
Aside from her 2021 Christmas album, Chemistry is the first record Clarkson has released since her 2020 split from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, with whom she shares River and son Remington, 7. The album, which initially dropped in June, explores the ups and downs of the former spouses’ relationship, as Clarkson teased via Instagram in March.
“I’ve been working on this project for close to three years now. I wasn’t sure I was going to release it, but I am. The album is called Chemistry,” she wrote at the time, noting that she “didn’t want everybody to think” she was experiencing “just one or two emotions” in the wake of her divorce.
Clarkson continued: “This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship. That whole relationship shouldn’t be brought down to one thing. There’s the good, the bad and the ugly kind of thing going on. Chemistry can be a really amazing, sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you.”
The American Idol alum and Blackstock, 46, who tied the knot in 2013, had a messy split, with their shared Montana ranch being a major point of contention in the divorce proceedings. In 2021, Blackstock testified that he wanted to stay at the Montana residence to pursue his goal of becoming a full-time rancher while Clarkson argued that the property was a “financial burden.” Blackstock eventually moved out of the home in June 2022, three months after the duo finalized their split.
Despite their divorce drama, Clarkson gave Blackstock a heads up about the content on Chemistry.
“We did have a little text exchange about it,” Clarkson said during a June appearance on the Today show. “I don’t even remember why or how it happened, but I was like, ‘Hey, I didn’t just diminish us down to one [thing].’ You know what I’m saying? It’s all in there, the ride. The beauty is in there, as well. Now, there’s a lot of pain, but that’s what happens, for all of us.”
