Kelly Rowland’s controversial new song, “Dirty Laundry” is by far Kelly’s most personal song to date. In the song Kelly sings about resenting her sister Beyoncé and suffering through an abusive relationship. In a new interview with Billboard, Kelly and the song’s producer The-Dream opened up about the recording process.
As brave as the song is, you might be surprised to hear that it took her nearly a dozen takes to lay down her vocals without crying. And even at a recent listening for her label, she had to leave the room before the song was played.
“It was very emotional. It took me days to record,” Rowland tells Billboard. “I had to get past being so upset and actually sing the song, not sob through it. I always hope that my music can inspire someone, the same way other artists inspire me. Dream said, ‘I want to write you a record so that people will know exactly who you are, underneath it all.'”
The-Dream adds that he had to “push” Rowland to go outside her comfort zone, compiling highlights from different personal stories she shared as he put together the lyrics for the song.
“What unfolds on TV or on the Internet, it’s never really that. You think it is but it’s just not,” he says. “When you have a stage like Kelly has, you should talk about that part of your life. I think Kelly’s way deeper than that.”
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the song, click here.
