Hear a snippet of Kelly Clarkson's Christmas album opener, 'Merry Christmas Baby'

By Andrea Dresdale

Kelly Clarkson's upcoming album may be a Christmas release, but it sounds like she's letting out feelings in her songs.

The first single, "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)," is a holiday kiss-off, where Clarkson sings, "You ruined all my favorite things/But you won't take Christmas from me."

Now she's unveiled a snippet of a song with a similar theme.

On Sunday she wrote on Twitter, "Y'all! My Christmas album 'When Christmas Comes Around...' is almost here!! In 12 days to be exact...So I thought I'd give y'all a sneak peek of songs off this record leading up to its release. Here's the first one! This one's called 'Merry Christmas Baby' and it kicks off the album."

So I thought I'd give y'all a sneak peek of songs off this record leading up to its release. 🎶 Here's the first one! This one's called "Merry Christmas Baby" and it kicks off the album 🎄 #WhenChristmasComesAround https://t.co/Vz3Y331GgP pic.twitter.com/cBmKiAgcBx

— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 3, 2021

But instead of being a cover of the holiday blues classic of the same name, Clarkson's song is a retro-sounding number in which she sings, "I'll let my absence show you what I got you for Christmas/Is losing me/ Merry Christmas baby."

"When Christmas Comes Around..." is Clarkson's first album since her very public divorce from Brandon Blackstock.

In a statement announcing the album, she explained that the title refers to the fact that "we are probably all in very different places emotionally ‘when Christmas comes around."

She continued, "Some of us consumed with a new love, some of us reminded of loss, some filled with optimism for the coming new year, others elated for some much deserved time away from the chaos our work lives can sometimes bring us."

"When Christmas Comes Around..." is out Oct. 15.