Powerhouse vocalists Kelly Clarkson and Billy Porter teamed up on a performance for Clarkson’s Kellyoke segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Tuesday, October 17 for a chilling rendition of Clarkson’s very own track “Stronger.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Back in March, People reported that Porter covered a gospel version of “Stronger” on NBC’s That’s My Jam. He said during the show, “Gospel is my wheelhouse. Turn to your neighbor and say, ‘Are you ready to go to church?’
The talk show host then spoke about his mind-blowing cover on her show and said, “I have to give a quick shout-out to Billy Porter. He recently sang my song ‘Stronger’ on the show That’s My Jam. That’s the greatest cover that I have ever heard of any song I’ve ever performed. That’s my favorite cover, literally, of any song I’ve ever performed.”
The singer/songwriter then offered the opportunity to Porter to come on to her show and perform the song again with her. She said, “Alright, so, Billy Porter, I’m just saying—there’s a personal invite from me anytime you want to sing that song like that with me. “If I ever do a show, I’m gonna need a duet. Or I’ll stand on the side of the stage and let you have it. It’s incredible.”
Of course, he humbly accepted the opportunity and here we are in October with the two of them on a duet version that they clearly blew out of the water. Their vocals blended perfectly.
One fan wrote on X about the performance, “Yass!!! Kelly and Billy.. that was perfect… I love it … I am happy to watch it .. billy was awesome.. go billy!!! And Kelly!!”
Another viewer wrote on the social media platform, “Love this. Kelly is always ridiculously respectful of anyone that she sings with. She always holds back to let them shine.”
Clarkson revealed that she’d still love to write with Mariah Carey, despite accidentally turning down a potential collaboration with the singer during a past episode of The Voice.
“She knows I adore her because I’ve run into her several times, and she’s probably got me on some security list to keep me away, I did something stupid. [Mariah Carey] came on ‘The Voice,’ and we were working together. And sometimes, I say everything that’s in my brain,” Clarkson revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday (October 13).
Photo by Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal
