| Stronger | ||||
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| Released | October 21, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–11 | |||
| Studio | Chalice Recording, Los Angeles, California; Smoakstack, Nashville, Tennessee; Starstruck, Nashville, Tennessee. | |||
| Genre | Pop • pop rock[1] | |||
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| Kelly Clarkson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stronger | ||||
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Stronger is the fifth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on October 21, 2011, by RCA Records. The thirteen-song track-list features Clarkson collaborating with various new producers as well as with Howard Benson, whom she collaborated with on her previous album, All I Ever Wanted (2009). Wanting to stray away sonically from her previous albums, Clarkson's main objective was to record her vocal performances as it is heard in her live sets, and used as little auto-tune processing as possible. The album also marked the first release by Clarkson that did not cause a conflict with RCA; her previous records, most notably My December (2007), were released amidst conflict and controversy.
Clarkson began writing new material for the album in November 2009 while touring and finished recording in February 2011. Despite its original intent to be released in late 2010, the release date of the album was pushed back several times. The record is predominantly a pop rock album, with several music critics noting the predominant R&B and country influences Clarkson explored in Thankful (2003) and All I Ever Wanted, as well as dance-pop themes which she had recently developed. The album's lyrical content mainly explores themes about heartbreak, vengeance, forgiveness and empowerment through metaphors about Clarkson's relationships around people.
Upon its release, Stronger received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised Clarkson's vocal performance, but noted its lack of progression, unlike her previous albums. In the United States, Stronger debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and became her first record to be certified platinum in five years by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) since My December. Internationally, it debuted within the top-ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Stronger received four nominations at the 55th Grammy Awards: It won Best Pop Vocal Album and was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)".[2]
The album produced three singles. "Mr. Know It All" topped the charts in Australia and South Korea and attained top-ten positions in four countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" became the album's most successful release and Clarkson's most successful single overall. It topped the charts in the United States, Poland, Denmark, and Slovakia and attained top-ten positions in over twenty countries around the world. The final single, "Dark Side", was released to moderate success, attaining top-ten positions in three countries. Clarkson promoted Stronger in two concert tours, the Stronger Tour and the 2012 Summer Tour with American alternative rock band, The Fray.