Kelly Clarkson cried as she listened to a contestant singing her song Already Gone on Monday’s episode of The Voice.
Corey Ward, 34, from Hartsville, South Carolina, picked the tune for the first knockout rounds performance of season 20 because he related to its idea that life could be unpredictable.
Those words and Corey’s impassioned performance had a devastating impact on Kelly, 38, who co-wrote the song with OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder.
Breakup song: Kelly Clarkson cried as she listened to a contestant singing her breakup song Already Gone on Monday’s episode of The Voice
‘When I wrote Already Gone, I was going through something that I thought, ”It’s ok; it doesn’t always have to work out”,’ Kelly recalled. ‘And hearing him sing that to me in my life now, are you like, smacking me in the face with my message?’
She held the lyric sheet over her face to hide her reddened eyes, no doubt reflecting on the end of her seven-year marriage to Brendan Blackstock, 44.
Kelly filed for divorce from the talent manager in June 2020, and the pain still seemed raw.
‘It’s interesting when you write something and you don’t feel it ’til years later,’ Kelly said, wiping her tears away.
Her song: The 38-year-old pop star co-wrote the song with OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder
Knockout rounds: Corey Ward, 34, from Hartsville, South Carolina, picked the tune for the first knockout rounds performance of season 20
Tears flowing: ‘When I wrote Already Gone, I was going through something that I thought, ”It’s ok; it doesn’t always have to work out”,’ Kelly recalled. ‘And hearing him sing that to me in my life now, are you like, smacking me in the face with my message?’
The show’s mega-mentor, rapper Snoop Dogg, 49, was also moved by the ache in Corey’s voice.
‘I don’t get chills from men, man,’ the 20-time Grammy nominee admitted. ‘What was that about?’
For Kelly, who was back on the show after being sidelined by a non-coronavirus illness, it was all too much.
Feeling it; ‘It’s interesting when you write something and you don’t feel it ’til years later,’ Kelly said, wiping her tears away
Show mega-mentor: The show’s mega-mentor, rapper Snoop Dogg, 49, was also moved by the ache in Corey’s voice
‘When you can get the songwriter to lose emotional control, that’s when you’re doing your job, brother,’ Snoop told Corey.
‘One thing about my emotions,’ he continued, pointing to one eye. ‘I held my tear right here, and pushed it back up and told him to hold on until the commercial break.’
On knockouts day, Corey went up against Ryleigh Modig, 18, from Spencer, Massachusetts, who employed her skillfully soulful vocals on the Kings Of Leon song Use Somebody.
Talented teenager: On knockouts day, Corey went up against Ryleigh Modig, 18, from Spencer, Massachusetts, who employed her skillfully soulful vocals on the Kings Of Leon song Use Somebody
Corey’s song got a bigger response from the audience and the coaches.
‘He killed my song. It’s fine,’ Kelly joked, wondering if that was how the tune was ‘supposed to sound.’
Kelly went with her gut in choosing Corey, but worried about the prospect of Ryleigh leaving.
The winner: Kelly went with her gut in choosing Corey as the winner
She needn’t have fretted; Ryleigh’s vocals were so impressive, all three remaining coaches tried to steal her, with John Legend, 42, winning her talent for his team.
‘She’s got such maturity in her voice and flavor, she had to come to Team Legend,’ he said.
Th two-hour show opened with Blake Shelton, 44, dancing to Snoop’s hit song Drop It Like It’s Hot.
Stolen away: Ryleigh remained on the show after being stolen by John Legend
Welcome aboard: ‘She’s got such maturity in her voice and flavor, she had to come to Team Legend,’ John said
Blake sported a jacket gifted to him by his fellow musical icon, which bore a colorful imprint of Snoop’s 1993 debut studio album Doggystyle.
Snoop also gave Kelly a jacket, and she cried, ‘My brother’s gonna die!’ as they sang ‘Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,’ his collaboration with Dr. Dre.
Team Blake was next in the knockouts, featuring two singers from across the country spectrum.
Teaming up: Snoop also gave Kelly a jacket, and she cried, ‘My brother’s gonna die!’ as they sang ‘Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,’ his collaboration with Dr. Dre
Ethan Lively, 17, from Coalfield, Tennessee, used what Blake called his ‘George Strait voice’ on Travis Tritt’s Help Me Hold On.
Bluesy belter Jordan Matthew Young, 35, from Austin, did the Black Crowes’ She Talks To Angels in memory of a late friend.
Snoop said he loved country music, having worked with legends such as Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, which helped him understand ‘our worlds are the same.’
Fun rehearsal: Ethan Lively, 17, from Coalfield, Tennessee, was pitted by Blake Shelton against Jordan Matthew Young, 35, from Austin
Country fan: Snoop said he loved country music, having worked with legends such as Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, which helped him understand ‘our worlds are the same’
He suggested that Ethan speak some lines for gravitas and urged Jordan to loosen up and embrace a ‘Snoop state of mind.’
Onstage, Kelly admired Jordan’s ‘well-thought-out’ performance, and Blake chose him, despite what he called Ethan’s ‘once-in-a-lifetime kind of voice.’
For his second knockout, Blake paired two totally different singers.
Moving forward; Blake chose Jordan as the winner of the knockout battle
Pete Mroz, 45, from Nashville, sang Lewis Capaldi’s Before You Go, modernizing it by adding a rap cadence—’chop, chop, chop, bang’—to the intro, at Snoop’s injunction.
Andrew Marshall, 21, from Boxford, Massachusetts, dedicated Jason Mraz’s I Won’t Give Up to a friend who’d gone through chemotherapy for cancer with him.
‘You gotta fall into the song; you gotta make the song a part of you,’ Snoop reflected. ‘You gotta make your vocals an instrument in the song.’
Tough pairing: Blake also put Pete Mroz, 45, from Nashville, against Andrew Marshall, 21, from Boxford, Massachusetts
Pete threw himself into the emotion of the song, and won his old pal Blake over.
‘I chose Pete because every time he gets on this stage, he gives a solid performance,’ Blake said.
Nick Jonas, 28, then stole Andrew back to his team, where he’d started at the top of the season.
Emotional performance: Pete threw himself into the emotion of the song, and won his old pal Blake over
‘I love it when a plan comes together,’ Nick said, calling Andrew ‘so impressive.’
Snoop rapped a jazzy version of his tune ‘Gz and Hustlas’ with the show’s band as he waited to advise Team Legend.
For his first knockout round, John chose two impassioned singers: Pia Renee, 38, from Chicago, and Ciana Pelekai, 20, from Waianae, Hawaii.
Passionate pair: For his first knockout round, John chose two impassioned singers: Pia Renee, 38, from Chicago, and Ciana Pelekai, 20, from Waianae, Hawaii
Pia sang Jackie DeShannon’s What The World Needs Now Is Love, dedicated to her late mother, who passed away before knockouts.
‘That’s a standard song for every genre, but when you take it and put the salt on it and drip it in the sauce, it gives it a different perspective,’ Snoop observed.
Ciana ‘killed’ Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You, Snoop said, but he urged her to refine her rapping.
Powerful voice; Pia sang Jackie DeShannon’s What The World Needs Now Is Love, dedicated to her late mother, who passed away before knockouts
It proved to be a problem onstage, and Pia won with her more powerful vocals.
‘It sounded like you liked being the vessel for that message,’ Kelly told Pia admiringly, as a tear streaked down Pia’s face.
John’s second knockout pitted Victor Solomon, 22, from Peoria, Illinois, against Gean Garcia, 19, from New York City.
Smooth singer: John’s second knockout featured Victor Solomon, 22, from Peoria, Illinois
Victor unleashed fantastic runs on The Temptations song My Girl, which had Snoop dancing and saying it sounded like he’d never heard the song before.
Gean dedicated Ed Sheeran’s Afterglow to his mother, who had him at age 17, and he clapped to get the audience more involved.
Victor’s reimagining of the classic cover won out over Gean’s raw, youthful energy.
Teenage singer: Gean Garcia, 19, from New York City, dedicated Ed Sheeran’s Afterglow to his mother, who had him at age 17, and he clapped to get the audience more involved
Team Nick tasked Dana Monique, 41, from Houston, against Keegan Ferrell, 21, from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Keegan’s smooth cover of The Temptations’ Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) was a little too smooth, lacking moments where it really ‘popped.’
By contrast, Dana’s version of Tina Turner’s Nutbush City Limits was such a barn-burner, Snoop called out, ‘Heavens to Murgatroyd! I felt Tina in here for a minute.’
Different styles: Team Nick tasked Dana Monique, 41, from Houston, against Keegan Ferrell, 21, from Fort Wayne, Indiana
Nick kept Dana, calling her ‘one of the most exciting vocalists to listen to on the show.’
The Voice will return next week on NBC.
Carter Rubin, 15, won season 19 of The Voice in December.
Sticking around: Nick declared Dana the winner
Exciting vocalist: Dana was described her coach Nick as ‘one of the most exciting vocalists to listen to on the show’