When the party’s over, Kelly Clarkson brings it right back. The three-time Grammy winner added a rock ‘n’ roll flair Tuesday (March 1) to Ed Sheeran‘s pop hit “Shivers” in the latest installment of The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s Kellyoke series.
Backed by her band Y’all, Clarkson took the stage flanked by two backup vocalists who delivered the signature harmonies in Sheeran’s No. 4 Billboard Hot 100 track. Apart from those and the sparse, plucky strings at the beginning of the song, Clarkson’s group diverged from the original to give “Shivers” a much harder edge. Thundering drum fills weave in and out while electric guitar give a razor-sharp backbone to the performance, heightened even more by strobing red lights.
Sheeran crossed paths with the “Since U Been Gone” singer a few months ago when he stopped by as a guest coach on The Voice, where Clarkson has been a judge for seven seasons and recently beat out fellow judges Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton and John Legend when her mentee, A Girl Named Tom, took home first prize. The “Bad Habits” artist later appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show as a guest, where he was put on the spot when Clarkson asked who of the four coaches had been his favorite.
“Only one person gave good gifts,” Sheeran confessed. “It must have been you.” To that, Clarkson replied, “I will buy your love, Ed Sheeran.”
Recent Kellyoke performances include George Michael’s “Faith,” a prerecorded cover aired due to Clarkson’s vocal health concerns, and Nena’s “99 Red Balloons,” a war-themed track that felt timely given the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Watch Kelly Clarkson turn Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers” into a rock ‘n’ roll headbanger: