Kellyoke
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It’s Kellyoke, Taylor’s Version. On the latest episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly Clarkson and her band Y’all performed “Better Man,” one of the most devastating ballads penned by Taylor Swift back in her country music days.
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“I know the bravest thing I ever did was run,” the three-time Grammy winner effortlessly belted, she and her entire band sporting football jerseys for the talk show’s special NFL-themed episode Monday (Jan. 23). “Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I can feel you again/ But I just miss you, and I just wish you were a better man.”
Originally written by Swift leading up to her 2012 album Red, “Better Man” was scrapped from the track list and remained unheard by the public until the country-turned-pop star sent it to Little Big Town in 2016. The Alabama quartet released the track as the lead single off their 2017 album The Breaker.
Swift similarly lent an unreleased Red era song, “Babe,” to Sugarland, and appeared in the country duo’s music video for the track. Later, the “Anti-Hero” hitmaker would record both “Better Man” and “Babe” herself for her 2021 re-release, Red (Taylor’s Version), which was part of an ongoing project Swift’s taken on in order to reclaim ownership of her masters.
Funnily enough, it was Kelly Clarkson who was one of the first to publicly suggest that Swift rerecord her music at the height of Swift’s feud with former label owner Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun. In 2019, she tweeted, “@taylorswift13 just a thought, U should go in & re-record all the songs that U don’t own the masters on exactly how U did them but put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions. I’d buy all of the new versions just to prove a point.”
Watch Kelly Clarkson perform Taylor Swift’s “Better Man” below.
Kelly Clarkson is allowing her country side to shine.
On the Friday (Jan. 20) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the American Idol winner gave the Chris Stapleton single “You Should Probably Leave” a spin for her daily Kellyoke performance.
Accompanied by her band Y’all, the “Since U Been Gone” singer lets her full vocal range shine in the cover, singing, “‘Cause I know you and you know me/ And we both know where this is gonna lead/ You want me to say that I want you to stay/ So you should probably leave/ Yeah, you should probably leave.”
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“You Should Probably Leave” was released in 2020 as the first single from Stapleton’s fourth studio album, Starting Over. The track — which tells the story of an on-off couple who simply can’t stay away from each other — peaked at No. 28 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Over on Country Airplay, the track spent a week at No. 1.
Recently, Clarkson performed Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” for Kellyoke, as well as Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World,” Chris de Burgh‘s “The Lady in Red” and Joji‘s 2022 breakthrough hit “Glimpse of Us.”
Watch Clarkson’s cover for “You Should Probably Leave” in the video below.
Kelly Clarkson started the Thursday (Jan. 19) episode of her talk show with a rendition of Chris de Burgh‘s “The Lady in Red.”
Backed by her house band Y’all, the singer belted the overly earnest love song, singing, “Never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight/ Never seen you shine so bright/ Never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance/ They’re looking for a little romance, given half a chance/ I have never seen that dress you’re wearing/ Or the highlights in your hair catch your eyes, I have been blind/ Lady in red/ Is dancing with me, cheek to cheek.”
Released as the second single from de Burgh’s 1986 album Into the Light, the ballad served as the British-Irish artist’s international breakthrough and hit No. 1 throughout the world, though it ultimately topped out at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of ’87.
After singing the track, Clarkson invited Bryan Cranston to the couch, where she promptly played a recently unearthed video dating service ad the Breaking Bad star filmed sometime in the 1980s. Then, Rita Wilson joined the pair to dish on the “sing for your supper” parties she throws with Tom Hanks for their celebrity pals.
Other Kellyoke numbers Clarkson has chosen to cover recently include Joji’s “Glimpse of Us” (with not one, but two pianos!), The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated),” Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” and Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World.”
Watch Clarkson power through “The Lady in Red” below.
Fans got a glimpse of Kelly Clarkson at her most soulful during the Wednesday (Jan. 18) Kellyoke. Singing Joji‘s 2022 breakthrough hit “Glimpse of Us” on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the three-time Grammy winner stayed true to the original by performing the track with just piano backing her up.
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There was, however, a small twist. Clarkson had not one, but two accompanists onstage with her, with musicians Jason Halbert and Kyle Whalum playing dual pianos, one on either side of the “Stronger” singer. Unlike Joji’s original recording, which features layers of gorgeous vocal harmonies, Clarkson’s voice stood on its own.
The bareness of the talk-show host’s tone gave it a particularly soulful edge, which Clarkson enhanced by bending certain notes and riffing through others. “Sometimes I look in his eyes, and that’s where I found a glimpse of us,” she sang, taking the final chorus up an octave and personalizing the pronouns by changing “her” to “his.”
Though Joji has been successful on the periphery of mainstream pop for years, “Glimpse of Us,” released in June, is undoubtedly the 30-year-old singer-songwriter’s biggest hit to date. The track peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Joji’s top 10 debut and by far his highest charting song so far.
Just a couple months ago, Joji release his third studio album, Smithereens — off which “Glimpse of Us” was the lead single — in November. The set debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and logged its 10th week on the chart this week.
Watch Kelly Clarkson perform Joji’s “Glimpse of Us” on The Kelly Clarkson Show above.
Kelly Clarkson opened the Friday (Jan. 6) episode of her talk show with a cover of Duran Duran‘s “Ordinary World.”
Wearing a simple black dress and matching tights, the host extraordinaire sang, “Came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue/ Thought I heard you talking softly/ I turned on the lights, the TV, and the radio/ Still I can’t escape the ghost of you/ What has happened to it all?/ Crazy, some’d say/ Where is the life that I recognize?/ Gone away” before launching into the track’s high-flying chorus.
Originally released as the lead single from 1993’s Duran Duran (The Wedding Album), the soft rock ballad shot to No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart and also landed at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band’s biggest hit since their 1985 James Bond theme “A View to a Kill.”
Coincidentally, fellow American Idol alum Adam Lambert also recently unveiled his rendition of “Ordinary World,” from his upcoming album of covers, High Drama, set for release this February.
During the show, Clarkson also welcomed Alison Williams to discuss her leading role in the new Blumhouse Productions horror flick M3GAN and introduced her audience to Bob Hearts Abishola star Folake Olowofoyeku’s very first music video for the song “Ehen Ehen Okay Okay.”
Other recent “Kellyoke” covers picked by Clarkson to kick off the new year include Ronnie Milsap’s “Lost in the Fifties Tonight,” Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee” and Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.”
Watch Clarkson power through Duran Duran’s ’90s-era soft rock hit below.
Lord, help the mister who comes between me and my sister! Kelly Clarkson paid tribute to the holiday classic White Christmas on Monday (Dec. 19) with a “Kellyoke” cover of “Sisters.”
Enlisting help from her backup singer Jessi Collins, the talk show host recreated the scene made famous by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen in the beloved 1954 movie musical — all the way down to the elegant blue dresses and giant feathered fans. “Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters/ Never had to have a chaperone, no sir/ I’m here to keep my eye on her/ Caring, sharing, every little thing that we are wearing/ When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome/ She wore the dress, and I stayed home,” the two sang in perfect harmony.
Halfway through the number, two male members of Clarkson’s band Y’All stole the singers’ fans to dance around and lip sync — a la Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye’s characters in the film — before all four finished with some soft-shoe choreography.
As Christmas draws closer, Clarkson has gone all in on the yuletide tunes, performing everything from her own original songs like “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)” and “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You)” to “Santa Can’t You Hear Me” sans duet partner Ariana Grande and a cover of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
After the new year, Clarkson is set to return to The Voice for her ninth season as a coach after sitting out the recently wrapped Season 22.
Watch Clarkson and Collins’ pitch-perfect recreation of “Sisters” below.
Ah, Kellyoke — the daily Kelly Clarkson Show music segment that answers a completely rhetorical question asked repeatedly by her fans for years: “Is there anything Kelly Clarkson can’t sing?”
And so far, the answer is a resounding no. From pop to rock to country to oldies, the Grammy winner proves with each new song cover that she can do it all — with the help, of course, from her in-house backup band, Y’all. That goes especially for her lineup of 2022 performances, spanning the second half of her Daytime Emmy-winning talk show’s third season, which wrapped in June, and the first half of its fourth, which premiered in September.
In fact, the O.G. American Idol champion’s daily mini-performances have become so popular since The Kelly Clarkson Show first began in 2019, she released an EP featuring recordings of six Kellyoke-ified songs over the summer. Her standout cover of Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night” (which definitely earned a spot on this list) was one of them, along with Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” The Weeknd’s “Call Out My Name” and more.
Also this year, Clarkson’s Kellyoke tradition became even more special when she embarked on a tour through major U.S. cities in search of a new duet partner, giving fans the chance to show their stuff by singing their own versions of her 2004 hit “Since U Been Gone.” After the #KellyokeSearch concluded in September, she invited the five winners onstage with her for a glorious group performance of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
Keep reading for Billboard‘s favorite Kellyoke performances this year, in chronological order.
Kelly Clarkson spread holiday nostalgia on Friday’s episode (Dec. 16) of The Kelly Clarkson Show with her cover of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”
Forgoing the song’s intro, the talk show host launched right into its famous first verse, singing, “I’ll be home for Christmas/ You can count on me/ Please have snow and mistletoe/ And presents under the tree/ Christmas Eve will find me/ Where the love light gleams/ I’ll be home for Christmas/ If only in my dreams.”
Clarkson previously recorded the track, which was made famous in 1943 by Bing Crosby to honor soldiers overseas during the holidays, for her 2013 Christmas album Wrapped in Red. Since then, she’s also released a couple more holiday one-offs like 2017’s “Christmas Eve” and the 2020 duet “Under the Mistletoe” with Brett Eldredge before unveiling her second yuletide record, When Christmas Comes Around…, in Oct. 2021.
The superstar has filled the week of “Kellyoke” picks with her original Christmas songs as well, including “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know),” “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You)” and a solo version of “Santa Can’t You Hear Me” sans collaborator Ariana Grande. Jewel also stopped by at the top of the week to perform a jazzy “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” when the host was filming from home due to COVID.
Next year, Clarkson will return for her ninth season on The Voice after taking this past season off, opposite Blake Shelton and incoming coaches Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.
Watch Clarkson perform “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” below.
Kelly Clarkson kept the Christmas spirit flowing on Thursday (Dec. 15) by performing her 2021 holiday song “Santa Can’t You Hear Me” to open The Kelly Clarkson Show.
While she enlisted pal Ariana Grade for the studio version from her second Christmas album When Christmas Comes Around…, the talk show host opted to tackle the ditty by herself, belting out, “Santa can’t you hear me?/ Oh, I don’t need a thing/ I sent a letter to you/ On how to make my dreams come true, oh yeah/ Keep the mistletoe/ Unless below, is what I need/ Oh Santa, can’t you hear me?”
The solo “Kellyoke” number continues Clarkson’s string of performing her own holiday originals, following “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)” and “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You)” earlier this week. Before that, she handed the mic to Jewel to perform a stirring, jazz-inflected rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” while Clarkson was out sick with COVID.
Clarkson’s been in quite the giving mood on her show thanks to her ongoing holiday gift guide. On Wednesday’s episode, she gave every member of her studio audience an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii, with airfare to and from the islands.
In the new year, the superstar is set to return to Season 23 of The Voice after taking a season off for the first time since she joined the show as a coach in Season 14. She’ll be joined by Blake Shelton for his final season before leaving The Voice as well as rookie coaches Niall Horan and Chance The Rapper.
Watch Clarkson perform “Santa Can’t You Hear Me” below.
Kelly Clarkson is back in the studio for her eponymous talk show and kicked off Tuesday’s episode (Dec. 13) with her very own “Merry Christmas (to the One I Used to Know).”
Wearing a glamorously festive red gown and her hair up in a messy bun, the host crooned the melancholy tune from her 2021 holiday album When Christmas Comes Around… “The rush of us and all that was, right now it’d be so nice/ But I know when Christmas comes around/ And the snow falls like a fresh start on the ground/ You aren’t the one I’m missing, he left long ago/ For my Christmas Eve, my gift to me is dancing with your ghost/ So Merry Christmas to the one I used to know,” she sang before launching into the song’s forlorn bridge.
The number marked Clarkson’s return to her stomping grounds after filming virtually for several episodes due to coming down with COVID. Earlier this week, she enlisted Jewel to step in for a “Kellyoke” cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” before interviewing the Season 6 winner of The Masked Singer about her holiday traditions growing up in rural Alaska.
Later on Tuesday, the original American Idol champ is set to make an appearance during part two of The Voice‘s Season 22 finale, where she’ll be performing a solo version of her holiday single “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” sans collaborator (and fellow former Voice coach) Ariana Grande. While the track appeared on the same album from last year as her latest “Kellyoke” pick, Clarkson released a live recording of the duet earlier this holiday season.
Watch Clarkson perform “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)” below.