Kelly Clarkson releases two songs from her next chapter a day before 20th anniversary of her debut

Kelly Clarkson‘s having a full-circle moment: She released two new songs from her upcoming album, Chemistry, 24 hours before she marks the 20th anniversary of her very first album, Thankful.

Released on April 15, 2003 — six months after Kelly won the first season of American Idol — Thankful featured Kelly’s first non-Idol single, “Miss Independent.” It was co-written by Christina Aguilera, who originally planned to include it on her album Stripped, but didn’t finish it.

Kelly completed it with the other writers and recorded it herself, though Christina was reportedly upset about it. The song became a top 10 hit in the U.S. and around the world, and earned Kelly her first Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal performance. Allegedly, Christina stopped being upset when she ended up winning that category for “Beautiful.”

Thankful also includes “The Trouble with Love Is,” which appeared on the soundtrack of the hit 2003 film Love Actually, as well as her Idol coronation song “A Moment Like This” and its flip side, “Before Your Love.” Thankful debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and went Platinum in six weeks. It received positive reviews and proved Kelly had actual talent beyond the scope of American Idol. 

As for Kelly’s new songs “Me”/”Mine,” they’re both addressed to the person who broke her heart — presumably her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

In “Mine,” Kelly sings, “Go ahead and break my heart/ that’s fine/ so unkind … someone’s gonna show you how a heart can be used like you did mine.” In “Me,” she declares, “You are the reason I said goodbye … I don’t need to need somebody/ when I got me.”

There’s no release date yet for Chemistry, but Kelly’s Las Vegas residency begins in July.

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