Watch Kelly Clarkson Absolutely Smash One of the Most Iconic ’90s Rock Songs

Kelly Clarkson has expanded her brand as a television personality and talk show host to such a degree that sometimes people need to be reminded of what made her famous In the first place: that voice. The host of The Kelly Clarkson Show slayed a recent round of “Kellyoke,” a segment from her show where she performs covers that are sometimes out of her pop wheelhouse. 

The Voice mentor brought down the house with her rendition of The Pixies’ 1990s classic “Where Is My Mind?” on the Nov. 29 episode of the show, bringing a new depth to the song with her trademark pipes. Classic rock fans might not have expected this turn from Clarkson, but there’s no way anyone could object. 

Clarkson may be at the top of her game in terms of singing live, but the American Idol alum has taken a few hard knocks on the personal front this year. The “Stronger” singer has been battling it out in court with her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, and amid her Christmas special recently, she gave fans an insight into the emotional rollercoaster she’s been dealing with while singing “Merry Christmas (To The One I Used to Know)” live.

During the event, she spoke on it, telling fans through tears, “the holidays come with a whole range of emotions. I’m going to real with y’all, when I wrote this next song, I was crying my face off, which happens even at Christmas time,” Yahoo News reports. “I’d just put my kids [daughter River Rose, 7, and son Remington Alexander, 5] to bed and I was just going through it, having a really hard time. And it’s been a really tough year for a lot of us.”

Clarkson told fans that she wrote “Merry Christmas (To The One I Used to Know)” due to the circumstances, explaining, there aren’t many holiday songs for people feeling lost and just plain sad.” During the performance, she turned away from the microphone, visibly with many believing she broke down at one point.

The former couple married in 2013 after two years together. They had two children together. Us Weekly reported in June 2020 that she filed for divorce after nearly seven years of marriage. She cited “irreconcilable differences” at the time. Since then, the two have battled over custody, property, spousal support, and more.