In a story about “Mr. Know It All” — the first single off Kelly Clarkson’s new album Stronger — Entertainment Weekly calls the multi-platinum singer and songwriter “the samurai of shooting guys down.” Indeed Clarkson has earned herself millions of devoted fans thanks to her feisty, straight-talking lyrics. Clarkson’s hits such as “Miss Independent,” “Since U Been Gone,” “Walk Away,” “Never Again,” and now “Mr. Know It All,” are bold empowerment anthems, which she sells to the fullest with her soulful, powerhouse voice and down-to-earth relatability.

“The whole album is very much about strength and empowerment, so ‘Stronger’ felt like the perfect title,” Clarkson says. “Plus that song is just a gold mine — it's a little bit pop, a little bit pop-rock, a little bit urban, a little bit dance, and it ties everything in. And everybody loves that message. ‘What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.’ It's a perfect representation of my life.”

And how does she think her fans around going to react to Stronger? “I have an indication that they know they're going to love it,” she says. “I ran into a fan the other day in Target. It was a mom and her daughter and they were just like, ‘Oh my God, we don't even care what you put out if you could just put something out.’ It's funny, they didn’t even care what it was. I love that people still get excited about new music.”