Kelly Clarkson Beaten To No. 1 By 2025's Breakout Music Star

Forbes

15-05-2025

Kelly Clarkson returns to the Billboard charts as 'Where Have You Been' debuts at No. 2 on the ... More Digital Song Sales list, narrowly missing the top spot. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Kelly Clarkson attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Kelly Clarkson had been teasing new music somewhat indirectly for much of 2025. The singer doesn't drop new tunes as frequently as she once did, as her focus these days is on her eponymous daytime talk show. Whenever she does share something new, though, her legion of followers — both those who have been with her for decades and countless daily viewers — rush not just to hear the track, but buy it.
The Grammy and Emmy winner nearly nabs a new champion this week on the Billboard charts but misses out, coming in behind one of the hottest rising stars in the music industry.
Clarkson launches her new single, 'Where Have You Been,' at No. 2 on the Digital Song Sales chart, Billboard's ranking of the bestselling tunes across the U.S. Luminate reports that in its first tracking period of availability, Clarkson's latest sold a little more than 5,500 copies. That's a fairly small sum for the second-bestselling release in the nation, but this May has turned out to be a relatively quiet period in terms of major new releases — especially when looking strictly at pure purchases.
Clarkson is beaten only by 'Ordinary' by Alex Warren. That breakout track, which is quickly turning the singer-songwriter into one of the most exciting new names in the business, remains at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart. The tune has led the tally for three of the 10 frames it has spent on the ranking.
Warren beats Clarkson by fewer than 1,000 purchases, as 'Ordinary' sold another 6,400 copies last frame. That sum is down more than 10% from the period before, but it's still larger than any other cut managed during the same period.
'Where Have You Been' marks Clarkson's first new single as a lead artist — excluding holiday fare — in about a year. In the spring of 2024, she shifted focus to tracks from her most recent album Chemistry, which arrived in the summer of 2023. That set produced a handful of singles, although none of them became big wins in the U.S.
As 'Where Have You Been' arrives, Clarkson earns her milestone fifteenth top 10 on the Digital Song Sales chart. That list includes a trio of rulers, as she's led the charge with 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You),' 'My Life Would Suck Without You,' and, most recently, 'Piece by Piece.' Looking at the full list — which used to run longer than the 25 spots it includes these days — the American Idol winner has sent 43 different tunes to the competitive roster.