Kelly Clarkson Teases 'Me' Lyrics That Reference 2015 Love Song Written About Ex Brandon Blackstock

Clarkson's upcoming single features a lyrical response to 2015's "Piece by Piece," written about her relationship with Blackstock as a husband and co-parent

Kelly Clarkson is calling back to a fan-favorite love song with her new single.

On Thursday, the Grammy winner teased her upcoming single "Me" on Instagram — including a lyric that seems to directly respond to her 2015 love song "Piece by Piece," written about ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.

"I don't need somebody to hold me / Don't need somebody to love me / Don't need somebody to pick these pieces up," sang Clarkson, 40, in the a cappella clip. "I put together my broken / Let go of the pain I've been holdin' / Don't need to need somebody / When I got me."

The confident lyrics appear to call back to the chorus of "Piece by Piece," a song that praised then-husband Blackstock, 46, for providing affection and care to Clarkson and their children that the American Idol alum didn't receive from her own father.

Related:Kelly Clarkson Teases Breakup Song with Lyrics: 'Someone's Gonna Show You How a Heart Can Be Used'

"Piece by piece, he collected me / Up off the ground where you abandoned things / Piece by piece, he filled the holes / That you burned in me at 6 years old," she sings on the 2015 song, referencing the age she was when her own parents got divorced. "And you know, he never walks away / He never asks for money / He takes care of me / He loves me / Piece by piece, he restored my faith / That a man can be kind, and a father could stay."

Released on her album of the same name, the singer-songwriter explained the meaning behind "Piece by Piece" in a 2015 interview with the Huffington Post. "I guess I didn't realize the gravity of the situation until I had a child of my own, and until I experienced love like I do with Brandon on the daily," said Clarkson, referencing her first child, daughter River Rose, 8.

"I guess you don't realize something is missing until you feel it. I can't imagine walking away from my little girl. I can't imagine not having that love anymore," she continued. "I didn't know it was missing because I never had it. It was a revelation and that's why I wrote that song. I think a lot of people go through that."

Related:Kelly Clarkson Details New Album 'Chemistry': 'The Arc of an Entire Relationship'

In another interview that year with News Corp Australia Network, Clarkson described the song as "the next chapter" of 2004's "Because of You," which was written about the emotional distress caused by her parents' divorce.

"My sister and I can't believe both of us have ended up with such great, loving, supportive men," she said at the time. "We didn't grow up with that. We've never really had that in our lives ever. 'Piece By Piece' is about that process, I didn't have that foundation but I ended up finding it anyway."

"It's like the next chapter of 'Because of You.' Once you've worked through that and you find love and the kind of happiness you hoped for but didn't really know was possible," continued Clarkson. "It's a happy song. And it has a happy ending, unlike 'Because pf You.'"

Related:Kelly Clarkson Says Brandon Blackstock Divorce 'Wasn't an Overnight Decision': 'It Rips You Apart'

"Piece By Piece" charted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 after an emotional performance on American Idol, during which the "Miss Independent" performer was pregnant with her second child, Remington Alexander, 6.

After nearly seven years of marriage, Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in 2020. She's currently rolling out her new album Chemistry, which she's described as chronicling "the arc of an entire relationship" — "the good, the bad, the ugly."

"Me" will be released on April 14 alongside another single titled "Mine," which she teased via Instagram earlier this week, revealing the lyrics: "Someone's gonna show you how a heart can be used / Like you used mine."

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