Kelly Clarksonearned the title of “American Idol” after winning the inaugural season of the show in 2002.
She also has three chart-topping albums on the Billboard 200 (viaBillboard).
Frankly, her solid-gold discography speaks for itself.
While her discography is certainly iconic, Clarkson has proven it’s not just her music that rises above.
She clearly possesses the pipes to take on just aboutanysong.
Fans of the “Breakaway” singer already know she incorporated fan-requested covers into her concerts for years.
Of course, her history with covers extends back to"American Idol.
There have been so many greats, we’re willing to bet you forgot some.
The segment paid tribute to working women and showcased Clarkson’s renowned charm.
What a way to kick things off, huh?
This wasn’t Clarkson’s only Parton cover.
That hustle doesn’t end once the season is over, even if they take home first place.
She shouted out fellow “American Idol” alum and country superstarCarrie Underwoodwith a Kellyoke cover in late 2019.
Clarkson gave an electrifying rendition of Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.”
And she owned it.
“Saaaaaaaaang, gurl,” she enthused onTwitter.
The Carrie and Dolly covers aren’t Clarkson’s only country detours.
When are we getting Clarkson’s country album again?!
She even showed respect for former “Idol” judge Paula Adbul (viaYouTube).
Ultimately, she opted to stay true to the original, though (viaYouTube).
She has reimagined bops by many artists that she shares space with on the modern-day charts.
Sometimes they stay true to the source material; other times she makes them her own.
It seemed to be a real crowd pleaser.
Considering her massive pipes, Clarkson seemingly has no problem covering songs by other artists renowned for their belting.
Sometimes she’ll even tackle a totally unexpected number.
Take Lizzo’s “Juice” (viaYouTube).NMEdeemed the daring take “brilliant.”
The answer to that question is a resounding yes.
Spears dubbed the rendition “beautiful” onTwitter.
Several additional Spears songs have been featured on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
The big-voiced diva did the jazzy bop justice.
Thankfully Aguilera agreed when she hopped onstage for the interview.
“I’ve always loved your voice,” the “Fighter” hitmaker gushed (viaYouTube).
While these soul sisters never hit the studio together, their careers charted a similar path.
Both acted as judges on “The Voice” and dominated the charts over the years.
Clarkson seems to be a bona fide fan of the ’90s pop princess.
She’s covered several other numbers on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” over the years.
Can we get her take on “Genie In A Bottle” next, just?
However, Clarkson has paid musical tribute to several coaches that she did compete against on the show.
Let’s start with her most current competition Ariana Grande.
Before Grande joined “The Voice,” Clarkson covered three of her songs.
First up was her Jessie J and Nicki Minaj-assisted “Bang Bang” (viaYouTube).
Clarkson also gave us her bestGwen Stefaniimpression a few times.
Don’t think Nick Jonas didn’t get love.
Adam Levine andBlake Shelton’s discographies have both also been featured on the show.
If that alone doesn’t highlight Clarkson’s musical versatility, we don’t know what will.
The answer to that is seemingly no.
Fans presumed that the decision may have served as a reference to herdivorce proceedings.
Clarkson has covered several other songs of a similar style.
That’s because she mostly is.
As it turns out, there isone song she is nervous to tackle.
That would be Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, andJustin Bieber’s chart dominating “Despacito.”
“I have practiced so hard because I love singing in Spanish or different languages.
It’s like the biggest song of all time.
You’re kind of like ‘You know what, I’m gonna leave that one alone.'”
Fonsi tried to convince her to sing the chart-topper, but the diva would not budge from her decision.
And she hasn’t yet; however, we still have hope that she’ll try it one day.
Clarkson is right that “Despacito” was a massive force.
One song has since toppled both Lil Nas X’s oft-remixed “Old Town Road” (viaBillboard).
Maybe the “American Idol” baddie will give us aLil Nas Xcover in the future?
He also said Clarkson graciously gave him credit for coming up with the idea.
What a cool boss!
How do they pull it off?
The covers that make it on air are still largely fan-requested.
Once a song is approved, Halbert cuts it down to a tight, minute-and-a-half runtime.
After that, he’ll record himself playing it on as many instruments as possible.
Other times she’s never heard the song before (viaBillboard).
There’s also discussion of how many artistic liberties to take with each number.
As a rule of thumb, they tend to leave the classics like Aretha Franklin true to the original.
Clarkson typically records two songs each time she tapes.
