Kelly Clarkson Created A New Song With Steve Martin On The Banjo And Alexandra Daddario Would Probably Approve

Heidi Venable
·3 min read
Kelly Clarkson on The Voice, Steve Martin on Only Murders in the Building and Alexandra Daddario on The White Lotus.
Kelly Clarkson on The Voice, Steve Martin on Only Murders in the Building and Alexandra Daddario on The White Lotus.

Kelly Clarkson’s fans have been looking forward to hearing her new music, which she has said will have listeners traveling the entire arc of a relationship. After writing tons of songs amidst her divorce from Brandon Blackstock — and then weeding out the “angry” songs that went too far — the American Idol winner has begun to drop singles from her 10th studio album Chemistry, which will be released later this month. Her latest — “i hate love” — features the talented Steve Martin on the banjo, and it’s probably a collaboration that Alexandra Daddario would be able to get behind, given her own recent admissions.

The new single “i hate love” is an upbeat anti-love anthem, and while the Emmy-winning daytime talk show host promised her album wouldn’t be full of divorce music, this one certainly pulls no punches, saying love is “a bitch sometimes,” leaving her “on the ground” and “empty now,” as comedy legend Steve Martin expertly accompanies her on the banjo. In celebration of the drop, Kelly Clarkson posted to her Instagram Stories:

Instagram Stories.
Instagram Stories.

The former coach of The Voice gave Ryan Gosling a little shout-out in her post, as the lyrics to “i hate love” reference his beloved film The Notebook in comparison to the Steve Martin-led It’s Complicated. In the song Kelly Clarkson laments, “And ‘The Notebook’ lied. ‘It's Complicated’ is more like what happens, so you can keep Gosling and I'll take Steve Martin.”

Everybody’s got their opinions when it comes to the best romance movies, but when it comes to the banjo, I feel confident in saying Ryan Gosling can’t compete with the comedic icon. Alexandra Daddario likely agrees, as she recently revealed her own love for Steve Martin’s musical prowess when she recalled auditioning for her guest spot in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The actress admitted to being obsessed with Rob McElhenney’s FX sitcom, and said when she got the call to audition for a role, she was in Las Vegas to see none other than Steve Martin playing the banjo. Not willing to compromise one love for the other, it seems she took in the Only Murders in the Building star’s show, before driving all night to get back to L.A. in time for her audition — and she got the role!

The next time Alexandra Daddario hits the road for a Las Vegas show, she’ll be able to blast that banjo on the speakers, and possibly Kelly Clarkson’s whole Chemistry album. June 23 is the release date, and this album has been a long time coming for the singer, with many of the songs being written during the long and contentious divorce proceedings with Brandon Blackstock.

Kelly Clarkson filed for divorce in June 2020 after seven years of marriage, but it took nearly two years before a settlement was reached, with the couple filing lawsuits against each other and fighting over custody of their two kids, property and their prenuptial agreement.

Hopefully things have settled down for both parties, as the artist continues to make professional moves. She recently announced production of The Kelly Clarkson Show will move to New York City next season, so is it too much to hope that she might team up with Steve Martin again for a cameo on Only Murders in the Building? Season 3 will return to Hulu subscription holders on August 8, and keep your eye on the 2023 TV schedule for all of the other upcoming premieres.