It’s been almost 16 years since Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson recorded their chart-topping hit, “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” and it STILL goes hard.
Personally, in my eyes, the November 2010 track off of Aldean’s fourth album, My Kinda Party, remains one of the best country duets to come out of the 2010s. It’s widely recognized that Clarkson can pretty much do no wrong, and her flirting with country music never fails to disappoint. If this isn’t a car-karaoke staple on your playlist, then what are you doing?
The inaugural American Idol winner recently returned to the Houston rodeo, performing at NRG Stadium for the first time in 22 years since her debut there. She joined an impressive lineup of performers during this year’s run of concerts, including Megan Moroney, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Creed, and more. With 21 dates of shows throughout the month of March, the venue hosts a mix of artists mainly showcasing country stars, and Clarkson leaned into this theme by paying homage to her 2010 Aldean duet.
The “Breakaway” singer told the crowd, “I think it sounds more depressing as a solo.” Adding, “We haven’t done it in quite some time, but I thought tonight would be perfect because I know a lotta people here love country music like I do.”
Clarkson referred to it as the “solo, incredibly sad version of ‘Don’t You Wanna Stay'” jokingly adding, “because apparently they didn’t because it’s just me.” Accompanied by the incredibly beautiful instrumentals of a violin and piano backing, Clarkson took the lead on both parts of the track, and it’s an immediate goosebump inducer.
One lucky attendee of the show posted the full performance on TikTok, and even through a phone recording of Clarkson’s vocals echoing throughout the arena, it stands out as a hauntingly stunning solo rendition. While the track was originally technically an Aldean song, I’m surprised more people haven’t been petitioning for an officially released version from just Clarkson.
This is also not the first time Clarkson has taken on this ballad alone. She noted in her monologue to the audience that it’s been a part of her live concerts in the past, along with a previous acoustic rendition on her daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. This performance also comes at a full circle moment in time with the anniversary of its number one charting on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs in March 2011.
Aldean shouted out the track in a recent clip on social media, reflecting on the moment, saying, “It’ll always be a really special one for me.” In his words, it was one of those songs, “that just kind of never went away,” adding, “I hope somebody cracks a beer right and cranks it up.” So, in the wise words of Aldean, grab a cold one and enjoy sobbing to Clarkson’s lonesome version.