Kelly Clarkson is once again reminding fans why she remains one of television’s most celebrated vocalists, after her stunning cover of “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters exploded online and attracted millions of views within days of its release.
Clarkson performed the song during the August 31 series finale of The Kelly Clarkson Show, bringing her seven-season daytime run to an end with one final edition of the fan-favorite “Kellyoke” segment.
The choice was especially meaningful because “Golden” had reportedly become the most-requested Kellyoke song in the history of the show. After performing hundreds of covers over the years, Clarkson saved one of her most demanding requests for the very end.
Rather than lowering the song into a more comfortable range, Clarkson performed it in the original key, taking on the famously high notes that have made “Golden” such a challenging song for singers to cover.
The performance immediately caught fire online. Clips spread rapidly across social media, collecting millions of views as fans praised Clarkson’s range, control and ability to make an extremely difficult vocal performance appear almost effortless.
Now Clarkson’s fellow coaches from the upcoming season of The Voice are joining the conversation. During a new sit-down featuring the Season 30 coaching panel, Queen Latifah wondered aloud what Clarkson couldn’t sing.
Adam Levine agreed with the praise, joking that it was almost “annoying” how consistently good Clarkson sounds and saying that she is essentially never bad when she sings.
When the conversation turned specifically to “Golden,” however, Levine had a very different reaction. He jokingly questioned why Clarkson would even attempt such a brutally difficult song, suggesting that its extreme vocal demands sounded like something meant for robots rather than ordinary singers.
Clarkson herself was much less impressed with how easy fans thought she made it look. She admitted that “Golden” gave her a serious challenge, using some colorful language to describe just how hard the song was to sing.
The viral moment comes just as Clarkson prepares for another major television chapter. She is returning as a coach for The Voice Season 30, joining Levine alongside first-time coaches Queen Latifah and Riley Green.
Season 30 premieres September 21, and the early conversation between the four coaches already suggests plenty of playful competition. Clarkson welcomed the newcomers enthusiastically, while Green admitted that joining such an established group of stars still felt difficult for him to comprehend.
For Clarkson, though, “Golden” has provided a fitting bridge between two chapters of her career. Her talk show may have ended after seven seasons, but one of its final performances has become one of its biggest viral moments — just as she prepares to return to the red chair where fans will once again watch her judge other extraordinary voices
