The album is produced by Clarkson's longtime collaborators, Jason Halbert and Jesse Shatkin, as well as newcomers Erick Serna and Rachel Orscher.

Debuting at number six on Billboard 200, it became Clarkson's ninth top ten album on the chart.

Chemistry was met with positive reviews, with critics praising Clarkson's voice and the album's emotional and sonic dexterity.

When she appeared on Sunday Today with Willie Geist in September 2020, she then described the album as every emotion you experience from the beginning to the end of a relationship.

"[8][9] In January 2023, during an Instagram live, she mentioned she had just done the album photo shoot with Brian Bowen Smith.

[8] Two of Clarkson's frequent collaborators, Jason Halbert and Jesse Shatkin, returned to produce this album along with newcomers Eric Serna and Rachel Orscher.

Orscher helped produced it with Halbert, and allowed Clarkson to take the song up an octave.

[13] Clarkson, Jesse Shatkin, and Carly Rae Jepsen wrote the seventh song "Favorite Kind of High".

[17] On March 25, 2023, Clarkson tweeted wine, heartbreak and sunshine emojis, which is how she described the album while appearing on Access Daily in January 2023.

She then performed at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 23, where she sung "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)", "Mine", "Miss Independent", "Lighthouse" and "Since U Been Gone.

On October 16, she opened the fifth season of her talk show with "I Won't Give Up", and later appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

[31] "I Hate Love" featuring Steve Martin and "Red Flag Collector" were released as promotional singles on June 2 and 9, 2023.

[33][2] Chemistry was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised Clarkson's voice and the album's emotional and sonic dexterity.

Critics praised the personal nature of chemistry, with Hanif Abdurraqib of The New Yorker writing that the album "successfully preserves the aura of interpersonal intimacy that Clarkson has cultivated with audiences for two decades" with Clarkson at times "sing[ing] in a torrential flow, like a person who has held her frustrations and aches inside for too long.

"[41] Ilana Kaplan of Rolling Stone similarly wrote, "the record hinges on Clarkson's emotive vocals and soul-baring lyrics, turning Chemistry into her most vulnerable project since My December.

"[43] Kate Solomon of i also praised the album's exploration of emotion and wrote, "Chemistry ripples with sadness even at its most upbeat moments.

"[35] Lucy Norris of Metro wrote, "Chemistry was three years in the making and ultimately ripped apart her breakup, while allowing listeners physically feel her put herself right back together again in the most triumphant exploration of love we’ve ever heard from the 2002 American Idol champion.