Kelly Clarkson covered one of Jelly Roll’s most impactful songs during a recent episode of her daily talk show, the Kelly Clarkson Show, and her powerful rendition made the rapper-turned-country singer cry.
Clarkson features her covers of popular songs in a segment of her show called Kellyoke, where she takes on selections from across all genres. She took the stage on Thursday (Feb. 15) to perform “Save Me,” which Jelly Roll released as a duet with Lainey Wilson in 2023.
Clarkson raised the key several steps to accent her enormous vocal range, delivering the song with an edge that gave it an almost rock feel. Her rendition heightened the tension in the chorus, lending the song even greater intensity than the original:
Save Me
@jellyroll615 #Kellyoke pic.twitter.com/yynpl3r7LL
— The Kelly Clarkson Show (@KellyClarksonTV) February 15, 2024
Jelly Roll turned to social media after seeing the clip, expressing amazement that an artist as prominent as Clarkson had chosen to highlight one of his songs.
“I would’ve never believed you if you would’ve told me that I’d write a song so impactful that incredible Kelly Clarkson would deem it worthy to cover,” Jelly Roll writes.
“Thank you Kelly — wow — I’m honored in a way I can’t even described — I cried watching it,” he adds.
Jelly Roll originally included “Save Me” on his Self Medicated album in 2020. He added Wilson for a remix that he released to country radio as the second single from his first official country album, Whitsitt Chapel, in May of 2023.
The duet version of the song reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, and it scored nominations for Musical Event of the Year at the 2023 CMA Awards, as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
