Kelly Clarkson wasn’t about to turn down a personal request from Dolly Parton. During her Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions Las Vegas residency, the singer covered Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” which was a request from the songwriter herself.
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The idea to cover the song dates back to June. At the time, Clarkson shared a photo of two Las Vegas billboards that sat side-by-side: one promoting her residency and another promoting Parton’s.
“I think this is a sign I should cover a Dolly song at one of my shows…. but which song?” Clarkson captioned the photo.
Parton herself took to the comments to weigh in, writing, “I think you should sing ‘I Will Always Love You’ because I think you do one of the best versions of that song that I have ever heard.”
“Whitney and I would both be proud,” Parton added of Whitney Houston, who famously covered the track.
Kelly Clarkson Covers “I Will Always Love You”
Clarkson decided to take Parton’s suggestion and cover the track, which the latter singer released in 1974. During her show, Clarkson talked about the challenges of the song, and recalled Parton previously asking her to sing it at a different event.
“I was like, ‘Have a good night!’ I was like, ‘That b**ch,’” Clarkson said with a laugh. “Ain’t no singer in the world on your best day want to sing ‘I Will Always Love You.’ It freaked me out.”
When Parton chimed in with the song again, Clarkson was similarly concerned.
“That b**ch, she tweeted me and said, ‘You know what I think you should sing…” Clarkson said. “Here’s the thing, this is how much I love Dolly Parton. Because when Dolly Parton asks you to sing something, you just shut your mouth and do it.”
“I love Whitney Houston as well. She’s one of my biggest influences,” she added. “These are two of my favorite musical influences. It such a beautiful song. We tried to do a marriage of both the artists’ [versions]… I hope y’all like this.”
With that, Clarkson broke into her rendition of the track. Her powerful vocals and emotional performance are sure to make both women proud.
Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Live Nation Las Vegas
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