It has been more than three years since Kelly Clarkson released Chemistry, her most recent album. Her tenth collection turned out to be what may become her final major-label project, as she is now recording as an independent artist.
Clarkson has spent much of the past several years focused on The Kelly Clarkson Show, her daytime television series, which is currently in its final season. The singer-songwriter appears to have her eye on the future, which may include a huge return to music. She has released multiple singles not yet attached to any project throughout the past year or so, including one a little more than a week ago.
The latest from the first American Idol winner, a single titled “I’d Be Lyin’,” becomes an instant top 10 bestseller in the United States, though its arrival may also spell trouble for Clarkson’s upcoming chapter.
Kelly Clarkson’s New Single Debuts Inside the Top 10
“I’d Be Lyin’” opens at No. 7 on the Digital Song Sales chart. The purchase-focused ranking details only the bestselling individual downloads in the U.S. each week. According to Luminate, “I’d Be Lyin’” sold exactly 2,200 copies through digital download stores during its first tracking period.
Kelly Clarkson Has Scored Three No. 1 Bestsellers
The tune becomes the singer-songwriter’s forty-fourth career placement on the Digital Song Sales chart. 16 of those hits – now including “I’d Be Lyin’” – have reached the highest tier.
Clarkson has conquered the Digital Song Sales chart with three tracks throughout her time as a musical superstar. “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” and “Piece by Piece” have all reached No. 1, and it has been a decade since Clarkson last controlled the tally.
Here are all of Kelly Clarkson’s top 10 hits on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart.
- “Because of You”
- “Behind These Hazel Eyes”
- “Breakaway”
- “Broken & Beautiful”
- “I Dare You”
- “I’d Be Lion”
- “Me”
- “Mine”
- “Mr. Know It All”
- “My Life Would Suck Without You”
- “Never Again”
- “Piece by Piece”
- “Since U Been Gone”
- “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
- “Where Have You Been”
- “Winter Song” with Jake Hoot
Kelly Clarkson’s Latest Misses the Billboard Hot 100
While it is good news that “I’d Be Lyin’” sold well enough to reach the Digital Song Sales chart, the fact that it fails to appear on any additional Billboard tally may suggest that only Clarkson’s superfans were interested in the cut.
The single does not debut on the Billboard Hot 100, which measures the most popular songs of all styles in the U.S. via a combination of streaming activity, sales and radio airplay. “I’d Be Lyin’” also misses the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. That ranking details the 25 most popular tracks in the country that have yet to reach the Billboard Hot 100, but Clarkson’s latest does not launch there, either.
Kelly Clarkson’s New Hit Has Not Reached Pop Radio Yet
So far, “I’d Be Lyin’” has also failed to break onto any of the three pop radio rankings published by Billboard: the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary charts. For more than two decades, Clarkson has ranked as a reliable hitmaker and a regular force on those lists. Now that she is releasing music independently, it is unclear whether “I’d Be Lyin’” will manage to reach any of them.
The song could still debut on one or more radio rosters in the coming weeks. Stations are not always as quick to adopt a newly released piece of music as fans, who can rush to download stores the moment a single becomes available. Its absence during its first frame does not mean that it cannot become an airplay hit, but for now, the tune is succeeding only thanks to a few thousand sales.
Kelly Clarkson Nearly Ruled With Her Previous Single
“I’d Be Lyin’” is Clarkson’s second single in a row that may or may not preview an upcoming album. Last May, she released “Where Have You Been,” which performed even better on the Digital Song Sales chart than her latest cut.
That track nearly conquered the purchase-focused ranking, but it missed out on ruling by only one space when it peaked at No. 2. “Where Have You Been” matched “Since U Been Gone” and “I Dare You” as Clarkson’s only singles to stall in the runner-up position.