Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.
But for fans of American Idol‘s original winner Kelly Clarkson, the wait is officially over.
The “Heartbeat Song” chanteuse will mentor the Season 14 Top 9 as they tackle tunes from her songbook on Wednesday’s episode (8/7c on Fox) — and now TVLine has your exclusive first look at the set list:
Joey Cook – “Miss Independent”
Jax – “Beautiful Disaster”
Tyanna Jones – “Mr. Know It All”
Daniel Seavey – “Breakaway”
Rayvon Owen – “Since U Been Gone”
Clark Beckham – “The Trouble With Love Is”
Nick Fradiani – “Catch My Breath”
Qaasim Middleton – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
Quentin Alexander – “Dark Side”
Bear in mind, only eight contestants will grab the mic — with the lowest vote-getter (based on last week’s episode) being sent to the guillotine before the end of the two-hour telecast.
Stoked about the Kelly tunes on deck? Spot any missteps or missed opportunities? Whose cover are you most excited to hear? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
Qaasim singing Stronger sounds like a disaster in the making. And not a beautiful one.
Same with Daniel singing “Breakaway”
I fear for what Rayvon is going to do to Since U Been Gone.
I’m assuming it’ll be the same arrangement that they used in Hollywood Week for group rounds.
Doesn’t matter the arrangement, Rayvon will ruin it. If he was a girl he’d have been out of this competition weeks ago. Same with Daniel and Nick.
Oh, I feel bad for Qaasim already. I like him but Stronger is a hard song – the singer has to bring the melody and I don’t think any of these singers could do Kelly’s anthem version. And let’s face it, it’s qaasim, he’s not going to reimagine it as a Lana del Ray meditation on empty beaches and plastic bags. It’s going to be a car wreck, what was he thinking?
I see what you did there ;)
Since Daniel is going to win, I think he should’ve just picked A Moment Like This and dropped the mic.
ha haaaaa
LOL!
I don’t even watch idol but I love KC. Your comment was the best.
I do not think he will win at all. I bet he will be going home in the next couple of weeks.
Agree! Daniel winning? Tf…
When will the contestants learn that “Breakaway” is a cursed song on the show?
Know your idol history guys.
Well I’m hoping that the curse is alive and well this week then.
Exactly.
Hear Hear!!!!
I’m with you, Scott. It’s contestants like him and the reasons why he’s there that have made me become a casual AI viewer instead of the die-hard I used to be. Breakaway is one hard motherloving’ song for anyone to sing. Why not just give him Because of You and watch the wreck the train makes. SMH.
Same!!!
Ditto what the other Scott says! Daniel is just NOT ready for this and it’s time for him to go. I can’t imagine how monotone Breakaway is going to sound tonight :/ BUT… Quentin singing Dark Side? Bring it on! Cannot wait to hear what he does with it. It’s one of my favorite Kelly songs and Quentin is one of my top 2 favorite contestants this year.
Quentin is my favorite. He is unique and different and very talent ed. He might need a few voice lessons but he mesmorizes me.
I think “Mr. Know It All” gives Tyanna a lot to work with… I’m looking forward to hearing her sing that song… :-)
I know I haven’t heard it in so long! Makes me want to go back to my KC roots!
Interesting what Joey’s take will be, but I think Jax/Clark/Nick/Quentin will all nail it. Danayvo will flame out with those picks
So many trainwrecks…. so little time. Maybe one or two won’t be terrible.
Exactly what I was thinking.
They really should have gone for her less known songs. Sober, The War is Over, Haunted, Addicted, Irvine or People Like Us. They pretty much all picked songs that were singles.
I’d argue People Like Us is well known but I would have liked someone to take it on as well as Sober.
I think the record label wants to forget the third album even existed. Sober is one of her best songs, too, but they bus’ed it as a single release to stick it to her for wanting more artistic control.
…. and Clark is going to absolutely CRUSH “The Trouble with Love Is”…. how can he not?!
Agree. This is why I think Clark is going to win this season. He makes excellent song selections, arrangements and executions. You can tell he has done his homework. He seems to know exactly what he’s doing. Just for that–he deserves to win. Plus, he can sing which doesn’t hurt either.
I’m not excited about this line up, but I can’t be mad about it either. I love Kelly and what she has accomplished, but she doesn’t have a particularly deep catalogue of hits to choose from. All my favorites are represented, but I’m just not sure about who is doing some of them. cough Daniel cough cough Qaasim
They really should not have gone with her hits. There are so many live versions of them where she crushed it.
They would have been better of picking her less known songs.
Exactly. And I always find that some of her best songs are never singles.
I really hope we don’t hear Breakaway this week. . . And I love that song
We will hear it. Everybody is singing because there is a Twitter save. The bottom 2 perform and people vote on Twitter for who to save.
Jax will, I’m sure, do the slowed-down version of “Beautiful Disaster” and get credit for the ~arrangement~ (TM Harry) because the judges won’t know it. Rayvon needs to change up “SUBG” or it’ll just be another surface-level performance from him. I would have LOVED to see Quentin do “Addicted,” but that probably wasn’t an option.
I am only aware of the slow piano version of Beautiful Disaster, wasn’t it on the Breakaway album?
No, the original, and inferior, version was on her debut album, Thankful. The piano version is definitely more well known and liked though. Kelly also performed it on Season 3 of Idol, I think.
The slowed down live version is on Breakaway.
Oh yeah, I just looked it up, and a live piano version of Beautiful Disaster was on Breakaway, it may have been a bonus track, that’s why I know that one. I have never even heard the original, I’m gunna go listen to that one.
It wasn’t a bonus track on Breakaway, it was the last track. :)
Of course she will do the slowed down version she dosent have the vocal range or the voice for the original version. As for taking credit she will just like I wantvto hold your hand which was sung bybKurt in Glee a few years back and toxic which was sing by an Australian girl in 2011 also on youtube. Qaasim and Rayvon will struggle and Daniel and Joey are so screwed they havec2 very difficult songs. I wonder if they chose the songs or the producers seems funny some of the choices the contestants picked
Breakaway, with its range, sounds like a disatster!
Even Amber Carrington couldn’t pull off Breakaway, and her voice is miles stronger and more capable than Daniel’s.
I wonder if we are going to get any Kelly tweaking of Scott B. re her old smackdown of him for the idol singers comment years ago. Prob not as it involved a bad moment for tswift, but I can see Kelly giving him a jab. Still, maybe Scott has the last laugh this season as there are no belters left – just The Quirky and the Dead(ly dull).
What did Kelly say regarding Scott, what jab did she take at him?
2010. Not good taylor swift perf at Grammys. Critcism, mean remarks follow. Scott overreacts, issues statement that it isn’t american idol and about high notes, it’s about artistry. Kelly posts letter that suggests insulting american idol singers is stupid and hitting those notes doesn’t mean it isn’t artistry. Scott wisely shuts up. Taylor goes on to rule the world – win/win:)
I’m actually really excited for Nick and Quentin. If Nick sticks to just his guitar for the arrangement, CMB could be really good for him. Dark Side of perfect for Quentin, even if it will be another, “dark, theatrical” performance for him.
As fun as this sounds, I feel bad for them. None of them are going to be able to come close to her ama-za-zing vocals. I hope they are smart enough to put their own twist on these songs, otherwise…….
Ama-za-zing. I see what you did there.
I’m thinking Quentin’s choice is the smartest one. It fits him well. Jax, Clark, and Tyanna should do well. I don’t even know what Joey’s planning.
I see what you did there ;)
Was really hoping someone would do ‘Sober’, a criminally underrated song imo.
I would have liked it if Sober gets a sales bump from someone singing it. I believe Clark would have done a good job with it.
Unfortunately for them, I have really high expectations of what Sober should sound like live. (her performance at the Troubadour… if you haven’t go watch it)
None of this years contestants have the beautiful range that Kelly does. The girls and guys are going to have to change some arrangements to fit their voices. This can be amazing or train wrecks. Not sure how that will go over these are such well known and beautiful songs. Kelly Clarkson is a superstar I don’t think anything can compare to the origininal versions
I can’t WAIT for my original Idol to return as guest mentor — long time coming!! I love “Miss Independent” and Joey too but feel that’s a terrible match (“Irvine” would have been a fantastic, quirky option). That being said, Joey’s in such jeopardy after last week that it might not be heard anyway. IMO, Jax, Tyanna, and Clark have the best chances of shining with their choices. Quenton may surprise me, too, though.
Isn’t there a twitter save? If so, I bet everyone sings!
Yes. Daniel Seavey confirmed this on instagram. Everybody is singing, sadly that includes him.
This is what they SHOULD have sang:
Joey – Chivas
Jax – Irvine
Clark – Beautiful Disaster
Tyanna: The Trouble With Live Is
Nick: Behind These Hazel Eyes
Quentin: Never Again or Sober
————————————————–
Rayvon: No idea.
Qassim and Daniel: Just lip sync instead, please.
“Just lip sync instead please” lol!!! I love that!
I’m bracing myself for these rookie singers to botch one-of-the-greatest-voices-in-music’s songs…
Daniel Seavey singing Breakaway!!!!!😍😍😍😍😍
I’m surprised Joey or Jax didn’t go with a bluesier offering from her third album. Guess her label doesn’t want to remind people what an underrated gem it was.
I LOVED THAT ALBUM…My December was my second all-time favorite Kelly Clarkson album. Nothing will ever top Breakaway, though.
I can’t stop laughing at how much of a disaster Daniel singing Breakaway is going to be. What’s worse, Lazaro singing that or Daniel?
And of course Daniel picked Breakaway…hey, didn’t Lazaro sing that too?
One of my favorite albums from KC is My December; there are such fabulous underrated gems (IMO) that stemmed from that album, such as Can I Have a Kiss (which is in the top 5 of my favorite songs); I thought Jax could’ve done something interesting with that one, maybe slowed it down and sing eerily and ethereally.
What about Be Still? Irvine? Judas? Maybe? Sober?
I know JAX doesn’t have the biggest range, but if she chose one of these songs and slowed it down, she would SLAY!
Most of the KC songs these 8 are singing have been radio hits, but some of KC’s best songs never came out as singles or hits.
I still love JAX’s choice, don’t get me wrong. But I think there could’ve been even better choices.
Oooh, like You Found Me from Breakaway! That is my all-time favorite song of Kelly Clarkson’s.
But maybe the roster was limited in what they could pick.
I love the idea of singing all Kelly Clarkson songs. I can’t wait to hear Clark sing The Trouble with Love Is!!! He is my favorite!
Well, I’m ready for Miss Independent to be destroyed! Along with Breakaway and Stronger. Excited for Rayvon, Nick and Tyanna! Completely indifferent about the other 3.
Whats really weird is that none of these contestants are great singers…The Voice lets people go that would WIN AI…