Kelly Clarkson Reveals How Brandon Blackstock Divorce Influenced New Holiday Song

Kelly Clarkson got emotional during her Christmas special this week on NBC.

During her new NBC special, "Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around," which aired Wednesday, the 39-year-old singer opened up about her new holiday song, "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)," before performing it for her viewers. She explained how her divorce from Brandon Blackstock influenced the track.

"The holidays come with a whole range of emotions," Clarkson said. "I'm gonna be real with y'all, when I wrote this next song, I was crying my face off, which happens even at Christmastime, everyone. I had just put my kids to bed and I was just going through it, having a really hard time, and it's been a really tough year for a lot of us."

She continued, "And I wrote this song for me, but also because there aren't many holiday songs for people feeling alone or lost or just plain sad other than Dolly Parton's classic 'Hard Candy Christmas,' which we all love."

The "Voice" coach explained that Parton's song is "about getting through a tough holiday," adding, "I absolutely love that song and it allowed me to write this."

Clarkson concluded the special with "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)," a holiday breakup anthem from her "When Christmas Comes Around…" album released in October.

According to the singer, she had been "a little nervous" about putting out the track because it's not "your typical Christmas single." However, she said it was special because it was the first song she wrote for the album.

Clarkson said she wrote the song because a lot of things were "taken" from everyone over the past "couple of years," including people, relationships and jobs, and thought that people needed a reminder of some positive things that have happened during that time.

"Instead of looking at everything that's gone wrong, we should be looking at all the things that have gone right," she was quoted by Us Weekly as saying. "And that's what my therapist tells me anyway so that’s who I'm singing to! But no matter what people try to take from you, nobody can cancel Christmas, y'all."

Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage. They share two children, daughter, River, 7, and son, Remington, 5. Blackstock is also a dad to daughter Savannah, 19, and son Seth, 15, with ex-wife Melissa Ashworth.

Clarkson and Blackstock were declared legally single in September. However, their divorce is not set to be finalized until January, according to Us Weekly.

The "American Idol" alum endured a lot of "pain" during her marriage to Blackstock, leading her to finally call it quits, an unnamed insider previously told the outlet. The source also said that Clarkson "hasn't and won't ever look back," noting that she "has no regrets about filing for divorce."