Jordin Sparks is speaking up about why it's been years since her last release, and though she promises there's no "hate," she says her label has been running game and she may just release an album on her own — kind of.

"It's been almost five years ... Ask them, how long does it take?" she told HuffPost Live. "I mean, it's not like they're literally shot-blocking ... I did do Sparkle, which was so amazing and I had so much fun and I'm so glad that I did it because it's opened doors to do all the other acting opportunities that I've had, but I did that and they were like, 'Well, you were doing Sparkle, so you weren't ready.' And I was like, '... I did the audition because you all weren't ready,' so it's been kind of this, like, weird circle thing, but I think I have a really amazing door that just opened up with hopefully being able to get an album out working with a person that I really, really trust and getting it out kind of on my own."

Sparks says part of the reason why she's not mad (even though she feels like, "they just kind of lied and blow smoke a little bit") is because she knew, for example, that this year she wasn't even on the her label's schedule. "It's like any other business, they start the year and they have their budget and then they go and they put their money and finance in artists that they have on a schedule ... I technically wasn't on the schedule this year, but I have an album finished, so I'm ready to go."

The American Idol winner signed to 19 Recordings/Jive Records after winning on the singing competition in 2007. She released her self-titled debut that same year. Her follow-up, Battlefield, dropped in 2009. By 2011, however, Jive's parent company, RCA, disbanded the label and Sparks got lost in the shuffle. 

"It doesn't happen that way to everybody, but when you're missing an artist and you're like, 'Well, what's happening?' One is either the artist wants to take a break ... like if you look at Miley Cyrus' schedule, she's in Germany, she's in L.A., she's in Brazil, you know it gets really crazy. And/or the label's just like, 'No, you're gonna sit over here for a second.'"

While an official single, "Skipping a Beat," did come this year and her boyfriend Jason Derulo (who featured her on his Tattoos album, which dropped in September) said that her album's just about done, she says that "sit down" shutdown frustrated her. "They've done so many amazing things for me, so I don't want this to come off like I hate them, 'cause I don't. It's just I'm a little bit frustrated 'cause I really want to put this music out for my fans," she said. And with a smile, she added, "It's really good." 

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(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV)