Kelly Clarkson brought a special guest to help open the Thursday (Feb. 16) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show: Corey Ward of The Voice.
To kick off the “Kellyoke” duet, the superstar and her former protégé harmonized on “Falling Slowly” from John Carney’s 2007 musical film Once. “I don’t know you but I want you all the more for that,” Ward crooned, strumming an acoustic guitar before Clarkson joined him in singing the chorus: “Take this sinking boat and point it home/ We’ve still got time/ Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice/ You’ve made it now/ Falling slowly, sing your melody/ I’ll sing along.”
Ward was part of Team Kelly back in 2021 during Season 20, where he was eliminated in the Live Semifinal round before Cam Anthony eventually took the trophy for Blake Shelton’s team. Some of his most memorable performances on The Voice include his audition with Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” as well as covers of Clarkson’s “Already Gone,” Lewis Capaldi’s “Bruises” and “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls.
Later in the show, Clarkson interviewed Ward about his time on the reality singing competition, his mom’s cancer diagnosis — which led him to initially audition for Season 19 — as well as his new single “Close to Love.”
In recent days, the original American Idol winner has also covered everything from Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again,” Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack,” Camille Yarbrough’s Fatboy Slim-sampling “Take Yo’ Praise” and more.
Watch Clarkson and Ward duet on “Falling Slowly” below.
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NEWS
A$AP Rocky has revealed that it took years of persistence before Tim Burton agreed to create the cover artwork for his upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb. The rapper reflected on how the unlikely collaboration finally came together during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
Going into detail about the process, Rocky confessed that he “basically had to stalk and harass him for a few years” before things clicked. He explained, “I reached out and told him I would love to hang out, play him some vibes and just connect. I ended up going to Malibu while he was on a break, and he was feeling it. I played him an early version of the album and he really liked it. That’s when I asked, ‘Do you think you might want to do the illustration for this?’ He was open to it, but then suddenly he had Wednesday and Beetlejuice 2 going on. I realized this was going to take a lot longer than I thought.”
A$AP Rocky went on to describe a moment that really stuck with him during that visit. “While I was there, I noticed a sketch sitting on the table and asked if he drew it,” he said. “He told me that every morning he and his daughter work on drawings together. He starts one, then she comes in and finishes it or changes it. It’s something they practice daily. I saw it as their bond, and to me, that felt priceless.”
On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky also released a double music video for his tracks “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO.” Tim Burton appears in the visual and contributed multiple illustrations that tie into the project.
Alongside the release of the “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO” video, Rocky officially unveiled the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour. The run will include 42 dates across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, with shows scheduled throughout 2026.
