Rising to fame at just 20-years-old and winning the inaugural season of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson was an obvious choice to be a guest on the 15th and final season of the hit singing competition.
During her visit to the farewell season of ‘Idol’, Clarkson performed her latest single, a self-penned song, “Piece By Piece”.
While performing the song, it was apparent that she was holding back the floodgates of tears and overwhelmed with emotion. She broke down several times while singing and had to stop to regain composure.
Following the performance, she appeared on The Ellen Show to talk about it.
“I came off [the stage] almost in tears,” Clarkson began. “Because I was so embarrassed. I was like ‘Oh God, this was my final thing on Idol and I couldn’t hold it together’.”
Ellen quickly quelled her fears and reminded her that nearly everyone watching the performance was in tears – including the ‘Idol’ judges like Keith Urban.
“I was almost losing it the entire song. I was proud of myself for making it as far as I did,” she continued. Clarkson also revealed that she had a hard time making it through the dress rehearsal earlier in the day – much for the same reason.
The reason that this song has pulled at the heartstrings of so many people is it’s incredibly powerful message. That combined with the fact that it’s based on Clarkson’s life experiences, made the performance even more emotional.
“It’s sad, but hopeful,” she says of the song. “My sister and I had this conversation (and afterward I ended up writing the song) about how lucky we are to have found such incredible fathers…”
“I feel really lucky because I feel like a lot of girls with ‘daddy issues’ don’t end up that way. We end up going the same way..”
The song is an incredible narrative of the pain Clarkson and her sister experienced when their father abandoned their family when they were just six and the lyrics are immensely powerful. No wonder she was fighting back tears!
Watch both Clarkson’s interview and performance of “Piece By Piece” on The Ellen Show in the videos below.
