Originally appeared on E! Online
Kelly Clarkson is dissecting her love life, piece by piece.
More than three years after the “American Idol” alum and Brandon Blackstock finalized their divorce, she candidly explained why she’s taking a step back from dating.
“Dating can be very difficult, which is why I don’t,” Clarkson lightheartedly explained during her Studio Sessions residency’s July 20 show in Las Vegas, per a fan’s TikTok video. “I’m like, ‘It’s hard anyway.’ Add a spotlight and it’s like a…dumpster fire.”
But she didn’t come to this conclusion recently. In another TikTok from the show, the 43-year-old — who shares River Rose, 11, and Remington Alexander, 9, with Blackstock — noted her challenges with relationships started in her 20s, when she was trying to find love while also being in the public eye. And true to her songwriting skills, Clarkson used this tricky arc as inspiration for her 2015 single, “Tightrope.”
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“You hope you grow in the same direction if you stayed with someone long enough,” she continued. “It can be like this tug of war. It’s a difficult thing, especially if you’re not with the right person. You’re like, ‘Man, should it be this hard?’ And that’s kind of what this song is about. We all have people walking tight ropes sometimes and it’s not fair.”
This isn’t the first time the “Love So Soft” star has shared insight into dating after her divorce. In fact, she recently told Jenna Bush Hager that she’s prioritizing balance in her life — and in her organization plan, meeting someone new isn’t always topping the list.
“I will say, I’m not not looking and I’m not looking,” she revealed on the May 6 episode of “Today with Jenna and Friends.” “I’m very busy. You get this as a mom. I’ve got to focus right now. My kids’ schedule, I feel like, is busier than mine. I’m running from my show to baseball practice. It’s a lot.”
And while she’s trying to juggle a lot of things at once, her mom Jeanne Taylor — who also raised Clarkson and her two siblings as a single parent — is supporting her along the way.
“My mom will tell me, ‘Look, I was a single mom. I didn’t get to make everything. They’re gonna be fine. You turned out fine,’” she noted. “I am just trying to be there as much for them and we’re a cute little unit.”
Kelly Clarkson is making up for lost time after postponing the start of her Las Vegas residency. On July 11, the “American Idol” alum began her 5-month run at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, one week after the originally scheduled opening night.
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