How Kelly Clarkson's Chemistry is expected to debut in the album charts 👀

Even without a breakout hit, Kelly's 10th studio album is tracking well for a healthy debut.

Jul 01, 2023

Hey fellow Clarkstan! 👋 Welcome to NOTHING BUT CLARKSON — a newsletter all about Emmy and Grammy winner (and rad human) Kelly Clarkson. Last week, after more than 6 years of waiting, we finally got to hear Chemistry. In this week’s newsletter, I share some news about the album’s performance in the charts as well as some new amazing interviews.

HERE’S THE THING…

Some random thoughts from me.

Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry debut in the album charts

Last week, Kelly Clarkson finally released Chemistry—her most personal and arguably best album to date. The promotion for the album has both been very interview- and fan-centric, giving people the opportunity to fall in love again with Kelly.

And Atlantic’s strategy seems to have worked because Chemistry is projected to lead in US pure album sales and to make a top 5 debut in the Billboard 200 chart. As per Hits Daily Double, Chemistry sold 44K US copies during the tracking period, generating 54K in total first-week US units with streaming included.

Those numbers are really good. For one, Chemistry so far has no big hits, although “mine” unexpectedly gained its bullet back in the Hot AC chart and is currently sitting just below top 10. With the exception of the Birthday and the Belasco videos and a “mine” performance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, we also haven’t seen many live performances of Chemistry songs yet.

It’s worth noting that in the middle of the tracking period, HDD’s early projections put Kelly at #8, with a chance of getting up to #6. The fact that she managed to enter top 5 is a huge accomplishment and really says a lot about the strength of her fanbase.

Globally, Chemistry is also doing well. According to KellyStats on Twitter, it went #1 on iTunes in 20 countries, including major markets like the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. The album was also #1 on iTunes worldwide album chart for a few days.

The success of Chemistry thus far is a testament to the quality of her work (Chemistry is a perfect album and is, to reiterate, Kelly’s best record to date) and Kelly’s charming personality (which was apparent in all her interviews). I’m eagerly awaiting what’s next.

My guess is that if and when the writers’ strike end, we’ll see a second batch of promo blitz, including some live performances in NY-based talk shows like Jimmy Fallon to coincide with the season 5 premiere of The Kelly Clarkson Show. We already know Kelly is performing on The Today Show’s Summer Concert series in September. We may also see some additional interviews before Kelly’s Vegas mini-residency starts.

I also expect some announcement about a second radio single soon. (My bet is on “Down To You” or “Rock Hudson.”)

So, Clarkstans, we still have lots to look forward to! And with an excellent album like Chemistry, I’m sure we’ll see sales and streaming bumps frequently. It’s gonna be an exciting ride!

WHAT’S NEW, CLARKSON?

Notable mentions and news about our queen.

The Chemistry promo blitz has been insane, so I decided to keep a running list of some of Kelly’s major appearances and mentions below. For real-time updates, follow me on Twitter at @nbclarkson!

REVIEWS:

CBC (Canada): Kelly Clarkson marries fun melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics on her new album Chemistry
THE NEW YORKER: Kelly Clarkson’s captivating divorce album
VULTURE: Kelly Clarkson finally succumbs to the spotlight
ROLLINGSTONE: Kelly Clarkson Turns the Messiness of Divorce into Showstopping Pop Spectacle on ‘Chemistry’
THE LINE OF BEST FIT: Chemistry cements Kelly Clarkson’s pop icon status
PAGE SIX: Kelly Clarkson trashes ex-husband on biting divorce album ‘Chemistry’: review
SLANT: Kelly Clarkson Chemistry review: Distilling heartbreak down to a science
NOTHING BUT CLARKSON: Chemistry is Kelly Clarkson's most personal (and best!) album yet

RADIO, TV AND STREAMING INTERVIEWS:

Z100 NEW YORK: Kelly Clarkson on moving her show to New York
PANDORA: Afterglow takeover
SUNRISE (AUSTRALIA): Kelly Clarkson on parenting, divorce, writing new music and her popular talk show
THE PROJECT (AUSTRALIA): Kelly Clarkson on what red flags she looks out for in life
BREAKFAST TELEVISION (CANADA): Kelly Clarkson’s new album ‘Chemistry’ is out today – and we have the details
HOWARD STERN: Kelly Clarkson SiriusXM interview
TODAY WITH HODA AND JENNA: Kelly Clarkson on divorce: ‘I want better for my ex’
SiriusXM: Kelly Clarkson Town Hall 2023
AUDACY: Audacy check-in with Kelly Clarkson
AUDACY: This or that with Kelly Clarkson
NPR: Kelly Clarkson's latest album, 'Chemistry,' is more than just a divorce album
E! NEWS: Kelly Clarkson Reveals Her Dating Red Flags After Divorce

PODCASTS:

LAS CULTURISTAS: Kelly Clarkson visits Las Culturistas!
BILLBOARD POP SHOP PODCAST: Kelly Clarkson Promises Hits & Nightly Surprises at Las Vegas Residency
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL (WITH LAWRENCE ZARIAN): Kelly Clarkson
ARMCHAIR EXPERT: Kelly Clarkson
MISS INDEPODCAST: Miss Indepodcast interviews Kelly Clarkson
CONAN O’BRIEN NEEDS A FRIEND: Kelly Clarkson
WE CAN DO HARD THINGS (WITH GLENNON DOYLE): Kelly Clarkson: Red flags, divorce & starting oveR
ZANE LOWE: Kelly Clarkson: 'chemistry', Divorce & Heartbreak

ARTICLES:

AMERICAN SONGWRITER: Kelly Clarkson on writing from emotion, her future on ‘The Voice,’ and the itch to make a country album
TIDAL: Kelly Clarkson: Pop’s folksy, virtuosic heroine
GRAMMY.COM: Kelly Clarkson's Road To 'Chemistry': How Her Post-Divorce Album Completes A Journey Of Resilience & Musical Freedom
JUST JARED: Who is Rock Hudson? Did you know Kelly Clarkson's new song is inspired by an old Hollywood legend?
VARIETY: Kelly Clarkson on her candid new post-divorce album, ‘Chemistry’
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Kelly Clarkson on talk show drama, her love/hate relationship with ‘The Notebook’ and divorce album
USA TODAY: Kelly Clarkson on her ‘horrible’ divorce, working with Steve Martin and talk show drama

MISCELLANEOUS:

Reddit: AMA with Kelly Clarkson

WHAT I’M LIKING

An awesome post from social media, but without the $1000 cheque. 😉

Two Gay Matts released a reaction post to Chemistry on their YouTube channel, and it’s pretty great. Their reactions are so funny and so sweet.

ONE LAST THING…

Go stream Chemistry using this link from Atlantic Records!

NOTHING BUT CLARKSON