Kelly Clarkson is back at the helm of The Kelly Clarkson Show following a two-week hiatus, which means it was time for the return of the best singing segment in daytime: Kellyoke. For the series’s 1,000th episode, Clarkson belted out a gorgeous and seemingly effortless cover of one of Whitney Houston’s signature songs, backed by a piano an acoustic guitar in lieu of her usual band.

In a magenta jumpsuit, Clarkson lent her beautiful vibrato to “I Have Nothing,” a soaring power ballad recorded for Houston’s hit film The Bodyguard. In the comments on YouTube, many listeners noted that Clarkson pulled off what is undoubtedly one of the hardest songs in pop, with one writing, “Very, very few people should cover Whitney Houston. Kelly Clarkson is one of them.” Yup.

As another put it, “I’ve been waiting for this cover for forever and I am in tears.” Seriously, how had she not done this song before? A match made in vocalist heaven! It was only a matter of time after Clarkson’s masterful interpretations of “Queen of the Night,” “All The Man That I Need” and “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).”

 

What to know about “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston

The song was written by then-married-couple Linda Thompson and David Foster for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, the 1993 romantic drama co-starring Houston and Kevin Costner. Though the film is now mostly associated with Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You,” that song is actually a Dolly Parton cover. “I Have Nothing” was original to the soundtrack, and was nominated for an Academy Award alongside Houston’s “Run to You,” also from The Bodyguard.

Split of Kelly Clarkson and Whitney Houston

Photo: NBC/Getty Images

In the film, Houston plays a diva megastar, and to tap into that character’s perspective, Thompson thought back to her relationship with one of the biggest stars of all time: Elvis Presley.

“That song was definitely inspired by [my relationship with Elvis] because I knew what it was like to live with the biggest [rock star] of all time,” Thompson later revealed, per American Songwriter. “It was centered around this gorgeous megastar…She’s petulant. She’s a diva. And she has this bodyguard, he’s protecting her, but she’s difficult. And then she starts to fall in love with him. And the song has to be called ‘I Have Nothing.’”