Kelly Clarkson Clears Up ‘Since U Been Gone’ Production Drama: ‘I Was Lied To’

Because of Clive Davis, she never strays too far from the sidewalk.

In her Tuesday appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Kelly Clarkson set the record straight on just what happened with the production of the classic 2004 pop hit, “Since U Been Gone.”

In his 2013 memoir, record producer Clive Davis alleged that Clarkson hated the song, claiming that they had a “very tough conversation” and that she “burst into hysterical sobbing.” At the time, Clarkson slammed Davis on WhoSay, writing, “I refuse to be bullied and I just have to clear up his memory lapses and misinformation.”

When a fan first asked Clarkson, now 41, about the dust-up on Tuesday’s broadcast, she first laughed it off: “Wait, he has a memoir with stories about me? Are you serious? Well they’re talking about me, OK.”

The American Idol winner went on to explain the context behind that infamous song. “Let’s give some backstory, Davis,” Clarkson said. “I was lied to, and they told me, ‘Hey there’s these producers and they want to work with you. And there’s this song,’ and it had dummy lyrics.”

“I was told to write to the song,” Clarkson continued. “Flew me to Sweden, I get there and these two people, [Dr.] Luke and Max [Martin], were not told that I was writing to it, and just already had it written.”

According to Clarkson, this was the source of her distress over the song. “I look like a fool, because I walk in and the label had told me something completely different. That’s a red flag, too. Why lie to me like that?”

“I don’t like the lying,” Clarkson closed. “So that’s why I have a bad vibe with that song.”

For fans worried that Clarkson could abandon the song, host Andy Cohen voiced those concerns. “Oh my gosh, I’m such a great compartmentalizer,” Clarkson responded. “I can put that aside, and I sing the hell out of it on the tour.”

“Since U Been Gone” remains a fundamental song in Clarkson’s musical career. Back in 2022, Clarkson fumbled on the same radio hit, with Anne Hathaway guessing the tune before she could on her talk show. In 2019, the song went re-viral with a cover for The Tonight Show starring Shaq, Rachel Brosnahan, Anthony Anderson, and Clarkson herself.

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