2009 Pop Song, Singer Begged Her Label Not to Release, Became a Smash Anyway

Kelly Clarkson had already proved herself by the time her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted, was released in 2009. Not only was she the original American Idol, but Clarkson already had two Grammy Awards under her belt and a handful of chart-toppers with hits like "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You".

However, that didn't stop the singer from panicking when she realized one of the songs set to release on her fourth album was nearly identical to a Beyoncé hit that was released months earlier.

Clarkson worked with One Republic frontman Ryan Tedder for her 2009 album, including the song "Already Gone".

"[Ryan and I] wrote about six songs together, four or five of them made the album. It was all fine and dandy," she told CBC at the time. "I'd never heard of a song called "Halo". Beyoncé's album came out when my album was already being printed."

As "Halo" was climbing the charts, Clarkson quickly realized the similarities and called Tedder.

"No one's gonna be sitting at home, thinking 'Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyoncé and Kelly the same track to write to,'" Clarkson said. "No, they're just gonna be saying I ripped someone off."

Despite her album already being complete and set to release in a matter of weeks, Clarkson begged her label to stop the release of "Already Gone." When RCA refused to do the impossible, Clarkson got ahead of the drama.

"By going on record that openly, she ensured that anyone paying attention would hear 'Already Gone' with the controversy already in their ears," according to Adam Reader of Professor of Rock. "She didn't stop there. Kelly Clarkson refused to perform 'Already Gone' on television...She skipped high-profile appearances to push the single into heavy rotation. She even tried to taint the music video, though RCA forced it out."

Tedder later accused Clarkson of trying to "sabotage" the song.

"I'm happy that it saw the light of day because I actually liked 'Already Gone' more than 'Halo,'" he said, per Reader.

Despite Clarkson's efforts to bury the track, "Already Gone" climbed the charts, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 2:26 PM.