In a recent interview with Ryan Seacrest, Kelly Clarkson discussed her process writing the emotional song "Piece By Piece," which is about her absentee father.
The first-ever "American Idol" winner revealed that the track, which she recently performed on the competition show, was inspired by both her father, Stephen Clarkson, and her husband, Brandon Blackstock, a loving dad to the couple's daughter, River Rose (and another baby on the way).
"Watching my husband love on his daughter all the time, you know, go to her events and just be there and, like, be present is, like, hard to watch but beautiful to watch," Clarkson told Seacrest during the interview. "I know that my kids are going to have that."
She added, "Y'all are totally going to make me cry on this interview. I'm so glad you can't see me."
The singer went on to explain that growing up without a father present really affected her, though she didn't realize the extent of it until she became a parent herself.
"I don't even think I understood the gravity of [my relationship with my father] until I was pregnant with [River Rose]," she said. "I was like, 'I cannot imagine not seeing this kid to his or her full potential and just seeing what she's going to do, what she's going to be like.' … I don't think I knew how much that affected me until writing ['Piece By Piece']. I definitely didn't know how it would affect me like it does when I sing it live because that's not fun. It's awesome, but it's kind of sad that so many relate to this song."
The 33-year-old has spoken about her relationship with her father. In a 2015 interview with Glamour, the star explained, "I don’t know what my father went through as a child, and I don’t know why he left and made the decisions he made, but everyone’s human ... he’s made me want to be that much more present in my family."
But Clarkson isn't upset with her father. Instead, she's come to a point of acceptance.
"It's more of that thing where you can try your hardest to salvage relationships -- and I did -- but at the end of the day, if you keep getting hurt by someone because they just don't know how to properly love people, it's just not worth it," she told Seacrest.
You can watch her emotional performance of "Piece By Piece" on "American Idol," but be warned, you'll probably shed a few tears.
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