Kelly Clarkson‘s latest performance was truly beautiful in every single way. Taking the Kellyoke stage on The Kelly Clarkson Show Friday (May 6), the three-time Grammy winner ushered in the weekend with a soulful reminder not to let words bring any of us down by singing a powerful cover of Christina Aguilera‘s classic ballad “Beautiful.”
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Clarkson almost always has her full band, Y’all, performing behind her, but this time she was joined onstage by only her pianist — a move that made the first chunk of the performance feel doubly intimate and emotional. Taking her time with each breath, note and run, the American Song Contest host’s voice sounded particularly raw, and later swelled into its full power as a collection of unseen instruments joined in for the song’s final chorus.
Since its release in 2002, “Beautiful” has become one of the most well-known — and well-loved — musical odes to self-love. It climbed as far as the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, won Aguilera a Grammy for best female pop vocal performance, and earned a GLAAD award for its music video’s loving depiction of people in the LGBTQ community.
Aguilera once explained the importance of the song, which was written by Linda Perry, in an interview with MTV UK. “Everybody has their on days, everybody has their off days,” she said. “Everybody’s been in this situation where they have felt unaccepted by people before, or even their own viewpoints looking at themselves. So what a great message — people need to hear this song.”
Watch Kelly Clarkson perform Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” below:
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