Kelly Clarkson Responds to Rumors Regarding Her Name Change to Kelly Brianne After Divorce

• Kelly Clarkson clarified rumors that she’s changing her name to Kelly Brianne.

• “I’m still Kelly Clarkson,” she said.

• The musician dropped her married last name after finalizing her divorce from Brandon Blackstock this month.

Kelly Clarkson and her name aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you haven’t heard, news that the singer wanted to change her stage moniker to Kelly Brianne (her middle name) has swirled over the last few months, and she’s finally setting the record straight.

“I just got divorced, so I had to drop my married last name,” Clarkson told PEOPLE (the TV Show!) at the premiere of her new reality show, American Song Contest. “I just kept my middle name for my personal life. I’m still Kelly Clarkson.”

The 39-year-old recently finalized her divorce from her former manager and father of her two kids, Brandon Blackstock. And amidst their settlement, Us Weekly obtained copies of legal name change paperwork reportedly filed by the songstress. The outlet reported that, according to the documents, Clarkson had the “desire” to make the switch because “my new name more fully reflects who I am.”

The reports, for obvious reasons, sent fans of the pop star into a bit of a frenzy. But Clarkson reassured People that the name change applied to her personal life only. “I don’t think I can change Clarkson at this point. I’m 20 years in!” she joked.

The Voice judge filed for divorce in June 2020, and has been honest about it being a difficult journey. Thankfully, she has music to fall back on. “That’s how I get my feelings out,” she said on The Kelly Clarkson Show, referring to songwriting. “Music has always been my outlet to help me get through difficult times.”

Over the last two years, she’s done her best to be open and honest with her fans while also protecting herself and her kids. “I’m usually very open and I usually talk about everything, but in this case, I will talk a little bit here and there about how it affects me personally, but I probably won’t go too far into it because you know, I’m a mama bear and my kids come first,” she said on her show.

In a September 2020 interview with Willie Geist on Today, she added that her deep feelings about the divorce will surface in her next album. She said it will be “the most personal one” she’s released yet. “The whole record is basically every emotion you experience from the beginning of a relationship to the end,” she said.

And now, we know for sure that the album cover will read the familiar name we know and love: “Kelly Clarkson.” *Sighs with relief*

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