Clarkson sported a vintage Billy Joel tee and a black leather skirt as she put her own spin on the remix version of Cyrus‘ 2020 hit “Midnight Sky.”
Featured on Cyrus’ 2020 album Plastic Hearts, “Edge of Midnight” pays homage to Nicks’ 1981 solo hit “Edge of Seventeen,” and the “Since U Been Gone” performer harnesses its smoldering energy while putting her own stamp on it.
“Yeah, it’s been a long night and the mirror’s tellin’ me to go home/ But it’s been a long time since I felt this good on my own/ Lotta years went by with my hands tied up in your ropes/ Forever and ever, no more,” Clarkson belted before bursting into the rousing chorus.
“I was born to run, I don’t belong to anyone, oh no/ I don’t need to be loved by you,” she sang amid her soulful backup singers. “Fire in my lungs, can’t bite the devil on my tongue, oh no/ I don’t need to be loved by you.”
On Friday, April 5, Clarkson performed a completely different kind of cover — a rendition of Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow” with backing guitar from Jaco Caraco.
Sporting a long-sleeved black dress and silver earrings, the talk show host took her time to recite each song lyric first heard in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz. The audience listened in silence as Clarkson sang against a row of dimmed purple lights.
When the Grammy winner finished, the lights flashed rainbow colors, and the crowd cheered loudly.
Last month, Clarkson also performed a stirring cover of Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning song “What Was I Made For?” which appeared on the soundtrack for the Barbie movie, and earned her and her brother Finneas best original song at the 2024 Oscars.
Clarkson has performed many songs during the Kellyoke segment in the past including Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” and Aerosmith’s “Dream On.”