Kelly Clarkson lends her vocals to “You’re Drunk, Go Home,” one of the tracks on Kelsea Ballerini’s recently released Subject to Change album, along with Carly Pearce. And while Carly is a noted wine enthusiast, it was actually Kelly who might have been just a little bit overserved when she went to the studio to record her part of the song.

Kelly shared the story — at least, the parts of it fit for television — during a recent episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, where Kelsea was on hand to discuss her new record.

The day Kelsea texted her about a duet, Kelly says, was last day of work before taking some time off, and she’d already gotten a head start on her vacation.

“I had already been celebrating that it was my last day of work,” the singer explains. But when she heard the song and got Kelsea’s request for a duet, she knew she had sing on it — so she went to the studio.

“So I had to sing a song called ‘You’re Drunk, Go Home,’ inebriated, trying to sing for soprano parts like I’m fine,” Kelly continues.

In fact, there’s a full recording that no one — not even Kelsea — has heard yet, the singer goes on to say. “There is a full track that we have to send to you of me just crying and laughing so hard,” Kelly says. “I almost peed my pants.”

Subject to Change came out September 23.

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If you didn’t know, R&B diva Ciara has been working on a new album and revealed this week that she’s just as excited for it as she was for her very first project. 

Though Goodies debuted close to two decades ago, the singer says it’s still her best body of work. That may or may not be the case after creating her newest album — one that she says has her feeling like the old Ci Ci again. 

“I really mean this, my first album to me was my best album of my whole journey,” she told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe. “I feel like this album has taken me right there where that album was, energetic, energy wise, tonality, the R&B core that’s in this record.”

The singer admits she isn’t fond of listening to her own records. “It’s not that I don’t love my music,” she said, “It’s just, I feel weird listening to myself.” 

But with the new, unnamed project, she doesn’t feel that way. Maybe it’s due to the “super,” “hardcore R&B” throughout? Maybe it’s because of the album’s ability to make people want to dance? Either way, “there’s something about this record that just feels complete.”

The Grammy winner released her latest single, “Better Thangs” featuring Summer Walker, on September 28. The carefree, upbeat vibe of the track could be a symbol of what’s to come on the album. This summer she teased and released her now-popular hit “Jump” and the many accompanying dance videos on social media. 

As for what fans can expect from the new album, the star says there’ll be some “fun treats and surprises.”

“The fans have asked for a few things over the years, and they’re going to get what they wanted with this album,” Ciara says.

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The last time Taylor Swift wanted to stage live performances to support an album, the pandemic forced her to postpone her plans, and then cancel them altogether.  But now, there’s word that Taylor might be plotting a return to the road for 2023.

As you may recall, Taylor’s Lover Fest tour, announced in fall 2019 in support of her album Lover, was set to include four U.S. shows, 10 European shows and two concerts in Brazil. But due to COVID-19, in April of 2020, she postponed several of the dates until 2021. Others, including a headlining appearance at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival, were canceled outright. In February of 2021, she called the entire thing off.

But Page Six is now citing “multiple sources” as saying that Taylor is going to come roaring back in 2023 with a “massive” stadium tour.  “Taylor has some really ambitious plans in place,” an insider tells Page Six. “She’s excited to get back on the road after such a long but fruitful break.”

“Fruitful” is right: Since 2019, Taylor’s released two new albums — folklore and evermore — and recorded another one, Midnights, that’s coming out October 21. She also released re-recorded versions of two of her older albums: Fearless and Red. All four of those albums hit number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

Another source tells Page Six that several shows have already been booked for 2023, but Taylor’s rep didn’t respond to requests for comment. Stay tuned.

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Pixies have never been a band to stick to a particular sound, and recording a new album for the first time during the pandemic era gave them even more license to experiment.

“When you go to record, you’re, like, ‘Well, I don’t know if anyone’s gonna be able to see this or play this, so why not? F*** it! Just do whatever you want,'” bassist Paz Lenchantin tells ABC Audio. “Your brain kinda opens up to this place that was different than before.”

The result of said brain-opening is Doggerel, the eighth Pixies studio effort. Among the new things the “Where Is My Mind?” outfit brought to the record were songs co-written by guitarist Joey Santiago for the first time. Having played in Pixies for nearly 40 years, Santiago couldn’t help but write a Pixies song.

“To be honest, I did have something in mind that it’s got to fit within the vernacular of Pixies,” Santiago shares. “Unbeknownst to me, these little tricks that we were doing were coming out.”

Doggerel is now the fourth album Pixies have released since the group reunited in 2004, matching the four-record output of their pre-breakup era between 1986 and 1993. Santiago sees the post-reunion albums as a “linear” continuation of Pixies’ earlier work.

“It went in the path where we should be,” Santiago says.

“None of our records really sound alike, none of them,” he adds, while noting, “There’s always a signature in them, and the signature’s still there.”

Doggerel is out now. Pixies are currently playing a run of U.S. headlining shows in support of the record, which continues Monday in Los Angeles.

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Idina Menzel and her sister Cara Mentzel have collaborated on a new children’s picture book called Loud Mouse, about a young mouse named Dee who’s able to be her best self when she sings. Idina has written and recorded an original song to go with the book called “The Loud Mouse Song,” which is streaming now — and she says she could see making an entire Loud Mouse album in the future.

“I wanted to have a song that accompanied the book that kids and their parents could just sing…for days…ad nauseum, you know?” Idina laughs. Referring to her inescapable Frozen hit “Let It Go,” she jokes, “Because that’s what I like to do. I like to be the voice of songs that parents just love me for!”

Cara says the relationship between Dee and her sister Cara Lee in the book mirrors the “supportive” relationship she had with Idina growing up, when “being adjacent to this big talent was a joy and an adrenaline rush.”

Meanwhile, Idina thinks Loud Mouse is “in the tradition of” her Frozen character Elsa — and of her Wicked character, Elphaba — in the sense that it “gives [kids] the permission to be your biggest, bravest, loudest self.”

“I think that that sort of all comes together and is very meaningful for them, and for us,” she notes.

The sisters have already written a sequel to Loud Mouse, and Idina tells ABC Audio, “I’d like to start curating a list of children’s music, and writing children’s music” for the book series.

Idina explains that she discovered that while touring the world singing “Let It Go, “There’s just nothing better for a performer than…to be able to hold the microphone out and have [kids] sing your song, and to do that with them, and with their parents.”

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Country singer Hardy is asking for prayers after his tour bus was involved in an accident. 

“Following last night’s show, our tour bus was in an accident on our way home from Bristol,” he tweeted on Sunday afternoon. “There were just four of us, including myself, on the bus, however we were all treated for significant injuries.”

“Our friend, and bus driver, needs your prayers as he is still in the hospital,” Hardy continued. “His family is with him while he is being treated and we’re all pulling and praying for him.”

The “wait in the truck” singer added that he’s been released from the hospital but was “ordered by doctors to recover for the next few weeks which may cost us at a couple of shows.”

“My team and I will keep the fans updated on that as I rest in the coming days,” he shared. 

“Please keep our road family in your prayers and I promise to keep you updated in the days to follow,” he concluded. “God bless our medics and local and state officials for their quick response and incredible service.”

Hardy and his team were traveling from Bristol, Tennessee to Nashville early Sunday when the incident occurred. His next scheduled appearance is on October 8 with Morgan Wallen. It’s unclear if that will still happen. 

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Scotty McCreery and his wife, Gabi, are gearing up to welcome their first baby — a boy — this fall, but it’s hard for Scotty to believe it’s almost time for his son to arrive.

“Baby is coming fast, I tell you,” the singer remarks. “It seems like just yesterday that Gabi showed me the pregnancy test, and she was like, ‘We’re having a kid.’”

The couple is busy setting up and preparing to welcome a child into their home. “We’ve got to build a nursery and get all this stuff ready,” Scotty continues, but says that he couldn’t be more excited for the challenges ahead.

“It’s going to be the biggest blessing,” he says. “I can’t wait to teach this kid things. Get him on the ball field, play him some music, teach him guitar. We’ve already got a little music stand for him to play with. So yeah, we’re pumped.”

But there’s one thing about the impending new arrival that excites Scotty even more than the prospect of becoming a dad. “I’m so excited to be a dad, but probably more so excited to see Gabi be a mom, because she is going to absolutely crush it,” he continues.

“Just how caring and thoughtful she is — she puts everybody’s needs in front of her own,” the singer notes. “She’s just going to be the best mom.”

Scotty and Gabi’s bundle of joy was originally due in early November, but after a growth scan this summer that showed the baby measuring ahead, their due date was moved up to October 31 — aka Halloween.

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