Kelly Clarkson Stuns with her Cover of ‘How Will I Know’

The Kelly Clarkson show has been buzzing with activity, as of late. Between a string of brilliant guests and some stand-out performances, Kelly has managed to sprinkle in some lovely covers. This time, she served up a cover of Whitney Houston’s hit tune, ‘How Will I Know’.

Accompanied by her socially-distanced house band, Kelly Clarkson did complete justice to this track.  Released in 1985, this tune featured on Houston’s debut album. Interestingly enough, it was originally intended for Janet Jackson, but she passed on it. Houston then recorded the song with altered lyrics. But in the studio, she also had some help from a special someone. Whitney’s mother, joined her daughter to perform the song’s background vocals – making quite the impressive mother-daughter duo. Gerry Griffith, who worked closely with Houston on this song, explained with a sweet little anecdote:

“I asked Whitney to sing on the background session. She was reluctant because she wanted to enjoy hearing her mother sing. I said, ‘No, get out there and sing,’ so she did. The background sounded incredible…Clive Davis heard the mix and immediately gave it a 10, which is outrageous for him, because he doesn’t like anything!”

The tune speaks of young love with the protagonist constantly pining for affection. Here, take a look-

I fall in love whenever we meet
I’m asking you ’cause you know about these things
How will I know if he’s thinking of me
I try to phone but I’m too shy (can’t speak)
Falling in love is so bittersweet  

Kelly managed to hit every high note with ease. And that probably comes after several rounds of practice, as she even confessed that ‘How Will I Know’ was actually her first-ever audition song.

Her covers, as a part of ‘Kellyoke’ arrive every week. More recently she also tackled Post Malone’s record-breaking hit, ‘Circles‘. Just last week, Clarkson once again created quite the buzz after calling aboard a part of the ‘Hamilton’ cast for a rendition of ‘It’s Quiet Uptown’. 

So, to keep track of more of the star’s stunning covers, just stay tuned. 

By: Nina Karun