Yahoo Lifestyle Fans Say Kelly Clarkson's Taylor Swift Cover Just Isn't 'Hitting the Same Way'
Kelly Clarkson is known for flawlessly covering songs from a wide variety of other musical artists on the popular Kellyoke segment of her eponymous talk show—but one recent installment wasn't a hit with everybody.
Clarkson took to the stage on the Nov. 26 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show to belt out Taylor Swift's “Lavender Haze” off the 2022 album Midnights—and while the "Stronger" singer brought her usual level of talent and skill to the performance, it wasn't up to the standards of some fans on X, where the video was shared.
"Tay's voice suits her songs so much better it's insane," one Swiftie captioned the clip.
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tay's voice suits her songs so much better it's insane https://t.co/1EJIwfnf68
— p (@isaidspeaknowww) November 27, 2024
Other X users were quick to weigh in on the cover, with many viewers claiming that only Swift can do her own songs justice.
"Literally anyone who try to sing any of tay songs doesn't carry the emotions in them, it sound so empty it do nothing for me they could pull the highest notes and still nothing," wrote one X user.
"Literally the first time I've thought Kelly didn't slay it. People severely underestimate Taylor's technical skill and her vocal register. Kelly is a power vocalist, but she struggles here, and the song suffers for it," agreed another person.
"I’m sorry, lovely voice but the emotions coming from Taylor’s are truly inimitable," declared someone else.
"This is the first time i’ve heard a kelly cover that i don’t think is better than the original," admitted an additional commenter.
"Right like the lyrics aren't hitting the same way," somebody pointed out.
There were some who found merit in the performance, however.
"This song is very personal to Taylor, she wrote it. Of course it’s more emotion when she sings it. I think the way Kelly approached this was smart, she just put a couple lil touches on it. Normally she really adapts them to be her own. I’d die for a collab," a fan of both singers shared.
The "Lavender Haze" cover was also more popular on Instagram, where one person called Clarkson's take "pure chef's kiss," and another dubbed the duet "an icon singing the song of another icon."
Next: Kelly Clarkson Fans Say They've 'Been Waiting' For Her Latest 'Effortless' Cover
