Kelly Clarkson Debuts Her Las Vegas Residency
Just 90 minutes before the first show of her Studio Sessions Las Vegas residency was set to begin on July 4th, Kelly Clarkson made the difficult announcement that the show had been canceled.
The celebrated singer revealed that she had been working around the clock to prepare the show and was experiencing vocal strain as a result. She wrote:
“The prep and rehearsals have taken a toll on my voice. I want the shows to be perfect for y’all and I need to protect myself from doing serious damage so I am taking this weekend and next week to rest up so that we can deliver what you all deserve. The show is truly incredible. The musicians and singers are outstanding, and I want us all to start out strong. I can’t wait to be back next weekend and show y’all what we’ve been working on.”
One week later, Clarkson returned to the stage and officially kicked off her residency on July 11th. She took a moment during her performance to briefly explain what prompted the last-minute cancellation. She told the audience:
“It took us a minute. I’m so sorry. know some of y’all had tickets for last weekend’s shows. We can’t help our bodies sometimes. You know we get sick, and that happens.”
A fan captured the moment on video. Watch it below!
Kelly Clarkson Covers One Of Dolly Parton’s Most Iconic Songs
The Grammy Award winner admits that Studio Sessions is her favorite show that she has ever put together. The idea was inspired by her love of being in the recording studio, and the residency aims to bring that experience to fans in an intimate setting.
Clarkson is no stranger to singing covers and regularly celebrates the music of other artists. As such, she has created a “Kellyoke” segment during her daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, in which she puts her own spin on some of her favorite songs released by other musicians.
This passion was also reflected during her recent show when she sang a stellar rendition of Dolly Parton‘s “I Will Always Love You.” Parton originally released the emotional ballad in 1974. It landed in the top spot of the Billboard country charts later that year, and then again in 1982.
Over the years, “I Will Always Love You” has been covered by countless artists and was recognized by BMI for having over ten million broadcast performances.
Watch Kelly Clarkson sing “I Will Always Love You” during the opening weekend of her Las Vegas residency in the video below!
