Kelly Clarkson's Heartfelt Anthem: 'Piece by Piece' Lyrics Take on New Meaning Following Brandon Blackstock Divorce

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Kelly Clarkson has frequently revised the lyrics of her songs following her divorce from Brandon Blackstock. Her most recent revisions transformed a tribute to her ex into a powerful anthem of self-empowerment. Clarkson shared with her Las Vegas audience on August 5th that the song, originally written with a sense of hope, had evolved into one of hopelessness, now called "Piece by Piece."

In her 2015 release "Piece by Piece," Clarkson originally expressed how her partner, Blackstock, who is 46 years old, differed from her absentee father. She sang, "But piece by piece, he collected me up / Off the ground, where you abandoned things, yeah / Piece by piece, he filled the holes that you burned in me / At six years old and you know."

However, during her most recent performance on Saturday, Clarkson modified the mentioned pronouns. She passionately sang, "I collected me up" and "I filled the holes," transforming the song into a narrative about her own strength to overcome heartbreak. These alterations were not the only ones made.

The second part of the chorus in "Piece by Piece" also praised Blackstock. However, the lyrics have been changed to reflect a different sentiment. Instead of expressing that Blackstock never leaves, never asks for money, takes care of Clarkson, and loves her, she now sings about walking away when people ask for money, taking care of herself, and loving herself.

Money became a source of conflict in Clarkson's divorce from Blackstock. They got married in 2013 but separated in 2020. According to a source, Clarkson is determined to only give Blackstock the amount of money that is legally mandated by a judge.

Two months later, the divorce was finalized. As part of the settlement, Clarkson was required to pay Blackstock a monthly sum of $45,601 for child support. They both share custody of their two children, daughter River, aged 8, and son Remington, aged 6. In addition, Clarkson was ordered to provide $115,000 per month in spousal support until January 2024. Furthermore, she was obligated to make a one-time lump sum payment of $1.3 million.

In her 2023 update, Kelly Clarkson takes on the role of her own faith healer. Changing the lyrics to "Piece by piece, I restored my faith / That a heart can still beat, even when it breaks."

In the final verse of the song, Clarkson makes changes to the lyrics by replacing "he" with "I." She emphasizes that she will never walk away or hurt her children. Previously, the line said, "He'll take care of things, he'll love her," but now Clarkson passionately sings, "I'll take care of things when you leave scars."

This is not the first time Clarkson has altered lyrics related to her divorce. Earlier this year, she released her post-divorce album, Chemistry, and during a performance of GAYLE's "abcdefu" on NBC's The Kelly Clarkson Show in March, she modified the words. Clarkson kept these revised lines for her July 29 Las Vegas show and performed them uncensored.

Clarkson belted out, "Screw you and your father, as well as the fact that you received a portion, while I transformed my shattered heart into a work of art."

The conclusion of Clarkson's Las Vegas residency, located at the Bakkt Theater in Planet Hollywood, is scheduled for August 19.