Kelly Clarkson’s Jaw-Dropping ‘My Heart Will Go On’ Cover Breaks the Internet

Kelly Clarkson spent the weekend getting Americans excited about the democratic process again. How patriotic, with the presidential election coming up and all.

At least that’s one interpretation of the response to the video that went viral of her singing a cover of Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” delivering vocals so unbelievable and stirring that, amid the fawning, fans heralded the clip as proof that the voting process actually works. The country elected her as the first American Idol winner, and she hasn’t let us down since.

The performance was posted at 5 pm on Friday by The Kelly Clarkson Show’s social media account, presumably to usher us all into the weekend with uplifted spirits and good vibes, like a digital happy hour. It was part of the show’s “Kellyoke” tradition, in which Clarkson covers a new song at the beginning of each episode and is so astonishing in her performance that it’s become an industry running joke that artists cower in fear of the day that Kelly Clarkson chooses their song and does it better than they do.

I consider myself a connoisseur of Clarkson’s Kellyoke covers—as in I have what could perhaps be called a sociopathic obsession with them—and can confirm that her rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” ranks among her best. Her vocals are reliably superhuman on any song, but they’re on another level here; she even options up during the song’s iconic bridge.

This was no attempt to show up Dion, however. “Usually I would never cover that song because there’s some songs you don’t want to go near as a vocalist,” Clarkson said after the performance. “But there’s a reason why I did that today.” Titanic star Kate Winslet was the guest on her show, promoting her new film Lee.

Dion is a hallowed vocalist in the world of Kelly Clarkson. If you watched the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony, you’ll remember that she couldn’t speak because she was so emotional after Dion’s comeback performance at the Eiffel Tower. And those of us who voted for Clarkson on American Idol will remember that performances of several Dion ballads were instrumental in her eventual win.

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Granted, I’m aware that social media timelines are curated to serve a user content that appeals directly to them, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that I kept seeing person after person raving about the performance all weekend. But the sheer volume and intensity of the praise was something new, even for a Clarkson superfan like me used to seeing her videos show up during his endless scrolling.

“Kelly Clarkson singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ is UNREAL,” wrote one user. “One of the few who can really do justice to a Céline Dion classic. Those vocals were powerful, emotional, and straight-up flawless. She understood the assignment and NAILED it. Céline would be proud.”

“Kelly Clarkson singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ is one of the best things to ever happen to me,” wrote another.

Some people noted how only Clarkson would be permitted to even attempt a cover like this one: “There are certain ‘untouchable’ songs that artists shouldn't even attempt to cover, like ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ However, the rules dictate that exceptions must always be made for Kelly Clarkson.” Another user wrote: “As a self proclaimed ‘My Heart Will Go On’ superfan that will devour any cover that thinks it comes close to the original. This.... Is incredible.”

And to many, the performance was the end of the conversation of who is the most talented singer in the game right now: “Kelly Clarkson singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ just proved she is the best vocalist of the last 20 years and I will hear no different I’m sorry.”

Back to that democratic process? The response was unanimous that we really did get it right with Kelly Clarkson on American Idol: “22 years ago they went searching for America’s best singer and, amazingly enough, found it one the first try.”

See more of the effusive praise below, and then follow my lead and watch the video of the performance seven or 73 times during your lunch break.

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