How Kelly Clarkson's Wildly Popular 'Kellyoke' Covers Get Made
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Bulletin YOUR DAILY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UPDATE APRIL 14, 2021 Page 1 of 25 INSIDE How Kelly Clarkson’s Wildly Popular • Triller Owner ‘Kellyoke’ Covers Get Made Names Mahi de Silva CEO as Mike Lu BY GIL KAUFMAN Transitions to President When the team behind the syndicated Kelly Clark- Malone, Bee Gees and Bon Jovi). • Morgan Wallen son Show were drawing up their wish list for the Jason Halbert, the show’s daytime Emmy-nominat- Says He Won’t format of the daily talker hosted the beloved pop star, ed musical director and Clarkson’s MD for 18 years Perform Live This there was one unshakable element they had to lead — beginning in her post-American Idol days in 2003 Summer But with: music. — says the segment grew out of a bit the singer did for ‘My Story Is Far From Over’ “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if we open the years on tour in which she took a nightly fan cover show up with a different cover,’ just like she already request. “When the show started, we knew creatively • Televisa, Univision does? Because we were trying to incorporate differ- that we wanted to incorporate it,” he says of the very to Merge, Forming Spanish-Language ent pieces of Kelly into the show,” Alex Duda, the first thing fans see every day to kick off and set the Media Powerhouse NBCUniversal-distributed series’ executive producer, tone for that day’s journey. • Spotify to Include tells Billboard about the process of mapping out the “My career would not be what it is without Jason Livestream Event show that launched in 2019. Halbert,” Clarkson tells Billboard in a statement about Listings on Because the overall concept of the show was her partner in Kellyoke magic. “We are really good Artist Pages “connection” — and, Duda notes, music is a common partners. I feel like every artist needs to have their • Live Nation Names connector between us — of course a musical segment, person that complements them and helps their career Sherri Sosa President which has racked up more than 35 million YouTube come to fruition and grow. Jason is definitely that for of Venue Nation’s views to date, needed to be a signature part of the pro- me.” U.S. Group gram. And so the wildly popular “Kellyoke” segment Billboard asked Duda and Halbert to share the • Live Nation Vet that kicks off every episode was born. origin story of “Kellyoke,” and the surprisingly tight Russell Doussan To date, Clarkson has aired more than 300 Kel- window they have to pull it off every day. (Editor’s Launches Doussan Music Group lyokes, which range from country and pop tunes note: Questions and answers have been edited for clarity solidly in her powerful vocal wheelhouse (Patty and brevity). • BILLBOARD 200 Griffin, Lady Gaga, Chris Stapleton, Demi Lovato and Can you explain how Kelly became such a cover CLICK HERE Ed Sheeran) to more surprising picks (Lizzo, Post (continued) TOTAL IMMERSION ESSENTIAL ANALYSIS of the latest business topics and trends formulated to give industry players the competitive advantage in a rapidly changing market. EXCLUSIVE QUARTERLY REPORTS that deliver in-depth, holistic reporting; case studies; and custom data designed to serve the industry. A DEEP DIVE LIBRARY stocked with intelligence on fan data, SUBSCRIBE TO BILLBOARD PRO FOR song catalog sales, TV synchs, Africa’s burgeoning music ACCESS TO NEW REPORTS business and the gaming industry’s embrace of artists. AND THE ARCHIVE Page 3 of 25 IN BRIEF machine to begin with? idea behind the segment? They’re all audience-generated, so if they’re Halbert: On our first two-week run of Duda: Oh yeah, exactly. I couldn’t think not available, we push the song to another state fairs [in 2003] we did a medley of eight of a better way to do it. It wakes you up and time. cover songs, some from the show and some grabs your attention. Not by shaking you, Is Kelly always a fan of the songs, and she was inspired by — No Doubt, Aero- but by bringing you in and making you part does she always know them before the smith, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey — at of it. performance? which point I knew my hands were full after How are the songs for the show Halbert: Some she’s never heard be- we got emails and social media requests picked? fore. We’re probably pulling in 40% more from fans about songs they wanted her to Halbert: With music licensing on tour, requests than we can use, so there are songs cover. As a musical director, I’m always an we could send her a list of 200 requests on the list that she’s not connecting to the- advocate for fans ... so on behalf of them, I from fans and learn the song that night be- matically or not in the style she’d want to do. approached Kelly and said, “Wouldn’t it be cause there’s no licensing needed to perform She does get final approval of songs. We do great if we did a new song every day?” That them live. But on the show, the licensing not surprise her. made it fresh for her, so over a 10-year pe- turnaround is longer, so producers gather Can you describe the process of pre- riod, we did around 100 to 120 cover songs a list from audience members or upcoming paring the Kellyoke covers? a year. audience members and start the process of Halbert: We get in a room with Jessi Why was it important for you to have getting a batch of songs cleared. Collins, her vocal director [and backup this segment be the kickoff to every For season one we got about 60% of art- singer] for the past seven or eight years and episode? ists cleared, but by season two it was closer we know the songs we’re doing that week. Duda: “Music is our common currency” to 90%. I get a list of songs requested by We’ve gathered the songs from YouTube or was our basic pitch for the show, and it audience members, I plug them in based alternate versions, and it comes down to 18 hasn’t changed since the pilot first aired on episodes and themes — usually a mix of years of really knowing how she’s covered two years ago ... when she came up from Motown, ‘70s and ‘80s songs, current pop stuff in the past and imaging how she might the back of the audience with the crowd to rock and one country song a week. Once sing it. There’s a lot of guesswork about how on their feet and started off with a message the song is cleared, we contact the audience she might connect to it lyrically or if it’s and vibe of love from the top of that show. member and make sure they’re there for the nostalgic, emotionally. It connects the audience and viewers and show — which now that they’re on Zoom If it’s something like Aretha Franklin, we sets the vibe and makes you feel better. And [because of COVID-19 distancing protocols] won’t make it our own because she’s a leg- we needed that more than ever over the is much easier. end, and Kelly would try to make her proud last year and a half ... for us it’s rough to be Sometimes, if they’re from out of town and stick to it the way it is. But I grew up in a show about connections when you can’t and the song is not cleared until two days the ‘80s and I live and breathe that music, physically connect. before the taping, we’re scrambling to put she was born a decade later, so when Kelly It definitely helps set her apart from everything into place, which makes it way wanted to do Madonna’s “Borderline” and other daytime talkers. Was that another more complicated than doing it on tour. make it bluesy, we did two versions — one AUTHORITATIVE INTELLIGENCE. DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DELIVERY DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS ACADEMY AWARD© NOMINEE BEST ANIMATED FEATURE • BEST SOUND BEST ORIGINAL SCORE TRENT REZNOR • ATTICUS ROSS • JON BATISTE © 2021 DISNEY/PIXAR BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 13, 2020 | PAGE Page 4 5 OF of 1925 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] IN BRIEF SamHunt’s Southside Rules Top Country straightAlbu up ‘80s ms;and one the Brett way she wanted Young you don’t ‘Catcwant to leaveh out’-es one thing. FifthThat Airplay makes me feel good that people are — and I was able to twist her arm on that At what point is Kelly involved? liking it. one [to do theLea original].der; Travis DenningHalbert: Jessi sings theMakes song mimick- HistoryAretha (‘Think”), Dolly Parton (“9 to Sometimes she’ll push back and be like, ing Kelly’s style because she knows her 5”), Whitney Houston (“I Wanna Dance “Let’s make it cool.” It’s about imagin- vocal range; we record it and then the band With Somebody”), and Patsy Cline such Saming what Hunt she’s’s second connecting studio full-length, with. If it’s and an first in overrehearses five years, it Southsideand we put salesour touch (up 21%) on in it. the trackingseem week. like On Countryslam dunks. Airplay, But it hops others 18-15 like (11.9 mil- (MCAemotional Nashville/Universal lyric that I’ve Music heard Group her Nashville),men- debutsThe at No.first 1 on time Billboard she ’shears lion anything audience is impressions,while Lizzo’sup 16%).