One of life’s greatest simple pleasures is a Kelly Clarkson ‘Kellyoke’ country cover.
Anytime I see the 43-year-old “Since You’ve Been Gone” singer pop up on my social media feed with a new Clarkson-ified country hit, I just know it’s bound to be incredible. The Kelly Clarkson effect is REAL. The woman can absolutely knock any song out of the park and do it justice just as good as the original– if not better.
On top of being one of the three star judges on The Voice, Clarkson is in the seventh and final season of her daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. NBC recently announced this past February that its namesake host would be stepping away from her long-running show and episodes would wrap up in Fall 2026.
Clarkson admitted, “Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives.” She emphasized, “This isn’t goodbye. I’ll still be making music, playing shows here and there, and you may catch me on The Voice from time to time… you never know where I might show up next.”
As the end of her reign nears, the Emmy and Grammy award-winning host and singer-songwriter continues to put on a spectacular show, interviewing celebrities and hosting live performances as well as arguably stealing each episode with her Kellyoke segment. Most recently, Clarkson did so with a cover of the 90s country throwback hit, Jo Dee Messina’s “Lesson In Leavin’.”
Clarkson’s voice (beyond just being a standout in general) lends itself so beautifully to this genre. There’s something so satisfying about how flawlessly she hits every note, and while Messina’s recording has remained a classic for a reason, I didn’t know the song could give me goosebumps until Clarkson’s version.
The “Heads Carolina, Tails California” chart-topping vocalist voiced her admiration for Clarkson in the comment section of a TikTok post from the show, saying, “Girl !!!!!! I LOVE this.” Following her performance, Clarkson also gave a quick, incredibly important backstory on the song, noting that the track was originally recorded by Dottie West in 1979.
The track became West’s first solo number one hit, and also marked a very momentous week as the Billboard Hot Country Single chart was spearheaded by females in all of the top 5 spots. Likewise, it earned Messina her first solo chart topper, rising to the top of the Billboard Country Chart in 1980. If, like Clarkson, you also grew up listening to Messina’s track, after you watch Clarkson’s rendition, tune into West’s purely 70s rhythmic original (I promise it’ll have you grooving along).
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