Are divorce albums breaking new ground? Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, Kelsea Ballerini make the case
When the 2024 Grammy nominations were announced in November, one thing was immediately apparent: Women outpaced men
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the 2024 Grammy nominations were announced, one thing was immediately apparent: Women outpaced men in the major categories.
The leading artists — superstars like SZA, Taylor Swift, and Olivia Rodrigo — reflect an incredible diversity of skill with acclaimed albums that mine all corners of the human experience.
One such corner: divorce.
An influx of new releases from Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus and Kelsea Ballerini reimagine the divorce album in all its complexity. While the music industry has long been youth-obsessed, there may be something to the fact that these musicians are all women in their 30s and 40s and consequently possess a kind of self-assuredness and rich, emotional maturity. In a culture where relatability is currency, relationship stories with the weight and wisdom of age register as fresh. If all popstars are teenaged, where does that leave the rest of us? Perhaps the depth of a breakup ballad is felt more acutely when a public split plays out in tabloid headlines — and there’s a lot more to lose.
