Our lives in 2020 would especially suck without Kelly Clarkson’s covers of every hit known to man. Whether it’s pop, rock or country, she never fails to bring the house down with her “Kellyoke” covers to kick off The Kelly Clarkson Show.
But this year, the double doors with theater marquee lights didn’t reveal the Grammy-winning singer’s grand entrance to the studio, where in-house audience members clapped, cheered, danced and sang along with her. Instead, vertical screen panels replaced physical seats but doubled as performance decor. And she had more room to turn her show into a full-on movie set for a Halloween-themed special.
Billboard rounded up Kelly Clarkson’s 10 best “Kellyoke” covers of 2020 below, in chronological order.
“Good as Hell” (Lizzo cover)
She was feeling pretty in pink and good as hell for this Lizzo anthem! No hair tosses during her performance, but Clarkson tossed in a couple of incredible vocal runs and some Southern twang.
“Tennessee Whiskey” (Chris Stapleton cover)
She slipped some soul into her version of “Tennessee Whiskey,” which went down as smooth as ever before she topped it off with some sweet high notes for a little kick.
“Confident” (Demi Lovato cover)
What’s wrong with being confident — or Clarkson boldly belting the lyrics to Lovato’s hit with gusto? Absolutely nothing.
“Perfect” (Ed Sheeran cover)
She coated her perfect performance of Sheeran’s 2017 No. 1 hit with her sugary vocals and an angelic high note to finish it off.
“Ring of Fire” (Johnny Cash cover)
Clarkson set the stage ablaze with virtual flames and turned her band Y’all into a mariachi band for her scorching “Ring of Fire” performance.
“Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees cover)
Clarkson transformed her daytime talk show into the set of the 1992 film Death Becomes Her and transformed herself into Meryl Streep’s character Madeline Ashton for a haunting Halloween edition of “Stayin’ Alive.” Even her virtual audience members arose from their tombstones before coordinating their dance moves to the 1977 Saturday Night Fever classic.
“It’s My Life” (Bon Jovi cover)
Don’t be fooled by her Led Zeppelin tee, because she lives her best rock-star life with “It’s My Life,” starring the one and only Sheila E. on drums and Cory Churko on guitar. Even Jon Bon Jovi gave her his stamp of approval.
“Mr. Brightside” (The Killers cover)
Call her “Mr. Brightside” now because she tore through her killer cover of The Killers’ debut single, with red and white strobe lights building the anticipation for the beloved sing-along chorus.
“Dream On” (Aerosmith cover)
She nailed former American Idol judge and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler’s transition from the melancholic melody to the spirited shrieking in the bridge of Aerosmith’s 1976 top 10 hit “Dream On.”
“Need You Now” (Lady A cover)
All she really needed was a piano man (her musical director Jason Halbert) and a center spotlight to get her fans right in the feels for her stirring rendition of the Grammy-winning record.
