Why Kelly Clarkson’s Phenomenal Version Of ‘It’s Quiet Uptown’ Almost Didn’t Happen
Kelly Clarkson initially had reservations about recording the song “It’s Quiet Uptown” on The Hamilton Mixtape, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Kelly Clarkson on Covering a ‘Hamilton’ Song While Pregnant https://t.co/0V6NhYsHsy pic.twitter.com/vyq3ETysZf
— Fresh 102.7 (@Fresh1027NY) December 28, 2016
Referring to her version of the song as “literally the hardest thing I’ve ever done in the studio,” Kelly Clarkson revealed that she initially found out about the song when she was pregnant with her son, and she couldn’t believe that she was being asked to perform a song about a child who dies.
“I was so angry, because I was pregnant with my son, and it’s all about their son dying… I was a complete mess, but I was like, ‘It’s beautiful. I’ll try and do it, but I can’t promise you I can get through the dang thing.'”
Watch a live version of the singer’s stunning song here.
Taste of Country reported that the 34-year-old “Stronger” singer surprised her fans when she released The Hamilton Mixtape, as it was considered a project that doesn’t go hand in hand with her usual style.
It’s something Kelly Clarkson’s fans have never heard her do before. The “Piece by Piece” hitmaker was featured on the mixtape derived from the famous hip-hop Broadway musical Hamilton.
The musical is about Alexander Hamilton, and Kelly Clarkson offered her own rendition of the song “It’s Quiet Uptown.” The mixtape is a collection of renditions of the songs heard during the musical.
Kelly Clarkson on Seth Meyers singing a song from Hamilton.. great performance. pic.twitter.com/OFgn4kel8K
— Mary ClarkeMiller (@mclarkemiller) January 1, 2017
But the greatest part of the mixtape, which was released on December 2, 2016, is that it features some of the music industry’s biggest names. Besides Kelly Clarkson, such world-famous artists as Sia, Usher, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, the Roots, and many others offer their reimagined songs in the mixtape.
It sure looks like Kelly Clarkson is curious about taking her singing career to a whole new level. First, there is this hip-hop Hamilton project. And second, the singer has recently signed a deal with a new label, Atlantic.
Atlantic specializes in soul artists, and Kelly Clarkson has previously said she would love to get involved in a soul project. In fact, the “Stronger” singer has even hinted that she wouldn’t mind doing a country project.
Kelly Clarkson Ends 2016 with ‘Hamilton’ https://t.co/FGJsgdHpGa via @josephjett pic.twitter.com/CNGSZNzOXT
— Summer Blandings (@SummerBlandings) January 1, 2017
In her 2015 interview with Time magazine, Kelly Clarkson admitted that she had plans to release a country album. And the singer also hinted about her plans to do a Broadway project.
“I always tell people I might do Broadway one day, I might do an R&B album. I just like music. It doesn’t just stop at just one genre.”
Kelly Clarkson sure seems ambitious about her career plans. And Clarkson’s fans know one thing for certain: she can nail a rendition of any song.
Why? Because Kelly Clarkson is no stranger to offering her covers on previously recorded tunes. In fact, during her “Piece by Piece” tour, Clarkson performed an audience-requested rendition of many songs at each of her shows.
Must be #LoveOnTheBrain with @kelly_clarkson's epic cover! Vote for it to win #BestCover at our #iHeartAwards with a RT!???? pic.twitter.com/mTsltatmvk
— iHeartRadio (@iHeartRadio) January 12, 2017
In addition, Kelly Clarkson has also been regularly sharing her covers to a number of popular tunes via her social media accounts. In fact, the pop singer even promised to do a series of covers of her label Atlantic’s soul artists.
In the same interview with Time magazine, Kelly Clarkson admitted that she “loves” the pop side of herself just as much as she loves the country, the Broadway side, and the soulful side of herself. The singer also gushed that she is happy about her deal with Atlantic because they let her make “whatever” she is into.
Kelly Clarkson said that it’s “real rare” for a label to give such freedom, adding that she is “super excited” about it.
To further prove that she has the chops to do mesmerizing covers, Kelly Clarkson flaunted her perfect Halloween cover of Sia’s “Chandelier” during a live Facebook session, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
To make her cover even more impressive, Kelly Clarkson sported a replica of Sia’s signature wig during the live session, which took place in her Nashville house. Clarkson certainly nailed every high note of Sia’s 2014 hit while performing what is already called one of the best a capella versions of “Chandelier” ever.
After her mind-blowing performance, Kelly Clarkson joked that she has no idea how Sia performs with that wig because “you can’t see” anything in that thing.
“But it’s also kind of awesome, because you’re in your own little world when you’re performing… I love that song. Everybody loves that song.”
[Featured Image by Ron Sachs/Getty Images]
