This “Kellyoke” phase is for the Swifties! On the Jan. 23 episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Present,” Kelly Clarkson carried out Taylor Swift’s “Higher Man (Taylor’s Model)” from the Grammy winner’s “Crimson (Taylor’s Model)” album, and it was pure nation gold. Clarkson’s rendition was all of the extra particular as a result of it was the primary time she’d carried out a Swift track for her “Kellyoke” phase since season one in every of her chat present. Nonetheless, her efficiency was so good it was effectively value ready three seasons for her to return to the “All Too Nicely” singer’s catalog.

Clarkson and her backup band have been all wearing soccer jerseys for the efficiency, which featured the host returning to the style she is aware of finest. “Higher Man” is a rustic ballad by and thru, and in Clarkson’s palms it should completely break your coronary heart in the easiest way attainable.

That is becoming not solely due to the lyrics, however as a result of it is also the track that just about acquired away for Swift. “Higher Man” was written for her 2012 album “Crimson,” however she had written too many songs she cherished for the album and finally selected to incorporate “All Too Nicely” as an alternative. She then handed the track alongside to Little Huge City, who took house the track of the yr award on the 2017 CMAs for his or her model of the track.

“[I]t was a track that I actually thought belonged on the album and there have been simply too many songs I cherished that I had written in that time frame, so a few of them needed to be left off. I feel I selected ‘All Too Nicely’ over ‘Higher Man,'” she informed Amazon Music in 2021, per Twitter account Taylor Swift Updates. “I feel that was what occurred. I used to be both going to placed on ‘All Too Nicely’ or ‘Higher Man,’ after which I left off ‘Higher Man,’ after which in a while, years later, Little Huge City ended up recording that track and it went to #1, it gained CMA Music of the yr, it was nominated for a Grammy. . . . It was like the best factor ever, and I am so grateful to them for doing that, and now I get to place out my model of it, so fairly enjoyable second.”

Now that Swift is rerecording her earlier albums, she’s had the possibility so as to add songs that have been beforehand minimize from the unique launch, and “Higher Man” is one in every of them. Seeing Clarkson tackle a observe particularly from “Crimson (Taylor’s Model)” is further particular, as a result of the “American Idol” alum was one of many first individuals to encourage Swift to rerecord her albums after she misplaced the masters for her early work to Scooter Braun.

In 2019, Clarkson tweeted, “@taylorswift13 only a thought, U ought to go in & re-record all of the songs that U do not personal the masters on precisely how U did them however put model new artwork & some sort of incentive so followers will now not purchase the outdated variations. I would purchase all the new variations simply to show a degree.”

Now it appears Clarkson is not simply shopping for Swift’s rerecordings, she’s placing her personal spin on “Taylor’s Model” too.