Kelly Clarkson Performs an Emotional Christmas Song She Wrote After Her Divorce

On the Dec. 13 broadcast of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly Clarkson performed a Kellyoke as a way of getting into the holiday mood.

She played her sorrowful ballad, "Merry Christmas (To The One I Used To Know)," so it wasn't all merry and bright.

[{"selector":"#anim-aac1021f-55b6-4891-ab8b-01d3eeb0e6de","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-05ff85a1-e1ce-4dc5-a9ec-97381a926edd","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b284bba8-5384-4a5f-90e5-0e697476a6ee","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-108.48485%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The song was written by Kelly after her acrimonious divorce from Brandon Blackstock, whom she parted from in 2020, and it was included on her 2021 Christmas album, When Christmas comes around.

[{"selector":"#anim-76de719d-5395-41e6-89b9-ce409299926f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a68dab23-5b84-4559-93c6-cb6ca228b67a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e4cb7e93-81e0-4270-927d-f3fc6df126c3","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-104.84849%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Kelly had her hair pulled back into an updo and was wearing a red dress for the performance, and she looked stunning.

[{"selector":"#anim-61b3b60f-83a5-45c1-acb4-de73ee55a7f0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e3783895-72fa-4ae8-ae8b-22a5231606ce","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-003ee113-b496-4ac4-86f4-810cd46abced","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-105.45454%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

In addition to having glittering, purple eye shadow, she also had little other accessories and makeup.

[{"selector":"#anim-0f115728-4405-41d3-bb8d-f17964691f58","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-09d04d79-81a8-4617-95d1-ebaf3baa067d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4ef0e929-f942-44ae-aaef-af08772f7450","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-108.48485%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

With simply a piano playing in the background and a Christmas tree lighting up her chat show set, she sung the song.

[{"selector":"#anim-328771a1-fc78-44d9-a7c9-88b6f906510e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ca5d6fe4-e73c-4775-808f-2e7e6e13bd0f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-88fb3433-b181-4ec3-ba24-13935fd5736f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-107.57576%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

When Kelly presided over a holiday programme in 2021, she broke down in tears while singing "Merry Christmas (To The One I Used To Know)."

[{"selector":"#anim-8c45e0ee-71ba-49d6-b827-085923409187","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ad8698df-22b8-42aa-90e7-3e758b105b93","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-686d2a84-8f42-484c-973e-6fefc21eaee9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-106.66667%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

She talked openly about the motivation behind the depressing song, admitting that she "cried [her] face off" when creating it.

[{"selector":"#anim-f18b72fa-d808-4121-9549-effff7c5af7e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f3657b80-94b6-49d3-86d2-c51190920b34","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-53931d49-b82b-4019-8c59-d6a5413262fa","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-106.36364%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

“There aren’t many holiday songs for people feeling lost and just plain sad,” Kelly shared.

[{"selector":"#anim-c9f74cd6-7c25-469b-8fe6-d6abdb2c2ebe","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-71e2fa42-1e22-4e3d-8fdc-b7c387dcf290","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-76ecc8ee-1933-4e75-ac67-897b74f68550","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-105.45454%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

. The American Idol winner admitted that she wrote the song after putting her two children she shares daughter River and son Remington with Brandon to bed one night.

[{"selector":"#anim-c3510c73-ace8-48a5-b1e9-54dbad2c637b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-edcafc02-238c-4e19-92f0-a10f0225bacb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-28c3f9b1-061d-4fa7-826f-f033b476979a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-110.30303%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]