"This one is personal": Keke Palmer reflects on breakup and backlash in raw new song "My Confession"

Keke Palmer is turning personal experience into music with her new single, “My Confession.” The song offers a candid look at her breakup with Darius Jackson and the social media attention that followed her appearance at Usher’s Las Vegas concert in 2023.

The singer-actress introduced the track on Instagram, explaining its emotional significance:

“This one is personal. ‘My Confession’ is exactly what it sounds like—me giving voice to the feelings I buried. Sometimes the closure we need doesn’t come from a conversation—it comes from being honest with ourselves. That’s what this song is. My peace. My clarity. My way of letting go.”

A closer look at the song

The song opens with a reference to the timing of her breakup, while also hinting at her decision to attend Usher’s show as a way to cope:

“Summer '23 we was in Vegas right/Broke up with me and you hopped up on a flight/Was tryna find my way back to alright/So I figured that I'd have myself a girl’s night.”

While she doesn’t directly describe the concert moment—where the R&B icon serenaded and slow-danced with her—the TV personality does mention the reaction it sparked:

“48 hours later online/Made me a villain for sympathy but you lied.”

She also includes a screenshot of Jackson’s tweet criticizing her outfit in the music video.

Palmer then clarifies the breakup had already happened before the concert, singing:

“But the truth is in Vegas we was already over, boo/Because of you.”

Shifting from heartbreak to defiance, she flips the narrative with a fiery chorus:

“F*** your projections, these are my confessions.”

It’s a pointed nod to Usher’s own hit, “Confessions Part II,” but here, it’s Palmer reclaiming the word. Throughout the song, she throws in references to Jackson’s online criticism and the backlash he received:

“72 hours now your feelings hurt/My fans was dragging you because you had the nerve/You almost turned me into a cliché.”

The track even delves into personal tensions beyond the relationship, hinting at rocky dynamics with Jackson’s family:

“Your family, they don't like me, that’s fine/But when did you get back on they side?/When I met you, you hated them like you hating me now.”

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Usher breaks silence on Keke Palmer drama: “I don't see anything negative happening”

Usher, who became unintentionally involved in the situation, later commented in an interview with People:

“Every night I'm thinking about how the world now is going to react to this moment that I'll have with whoever I'm choosing to sing to. But it was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least conversation going and we just keep it light. I don't see anything negative happening in Las Vegas.”

Keke Palmer later joined Usher in the video for his track “Boyfriend,” which referenced the viral moment:

“Somebody said that your boyfriend is lookin' for me. That's cool.”

Looking back, Palmer told the outlet in 2024 that she was surprised by the attention:

“I was just at a concert, doing what I do as an entertainer, creating a fun moment. How it became a storyline that me and Usher are in love, I don’t know.”

During a conversation on her podcast Baby, This is Keke Palmer, the two reflected on the public’s reaction. Usher said:

“Did I have anything to do with what was going on in your home? Did I send you that dress? I can not be responsible for how people choose to react to my experience as an entertainer. I am not deliberately trying to do anything that's gonna rock anybody's home.”

She agreed and clarified that Usher wasn’t a factor in the breakup:

“No guys, it's not Usher. People have problems. Relationships have up and downs. If Usher ends up being there, it’s just coincidence.”

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The track offers a powerful glimpse into her personal journey and the emotions behind the headlines.