18 Years Later, Kelly Clarkson Turns “Breakaway” Into A Live Duet With Sam Smith

Kelly Clarkson is taking a risk and making a change to her 2004 hit song “Breakaway.” On Oct. 11, The Kelly Clarkson Show released a new live duet version of “Breakaway” featuring Sam Smith, her latest celebrity guest who requested to perform the nostalgic ballad with her. “I’m scared to sing this,” Smith told Clarkson during a rehearsal. Clarkson’s longtime music director Jason Halbert noted how this rendition will sound distinct. “It’s a little bit different year for us because we have 15 years of playing this song in a certain key, and we’ve lowered it a little bit for Sam.”

The performance is part of Clarkson’s popular Kellyoke video series, which usually involves her transforming other artists’ songs into her stunning live versions. Most recently, the original American Idol winner covered Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” Jennifer Lopez’s “Waiting For Tonight,” Paramore’s “Ain’t It Fun,” and Shawn Mendes’ “Summer of Love.”

“Breakaway,” which was co-written by Avril Lavigne, came out 18 years ago as part of The Princess Diaries 2 soundtrack as well as Clarkson’s second studio album of the same name. The song has had a surprisingly big year in 2022. Lavigne, who originally recorded a demo of the song in 2001 before passing it off to Clarkson years later, released a re-recorded version of “Breakaway” in June 2022 as part of the 20th anniversary edition of her debut album Let Go.

Meanwhile, Smith was on Clarkson’s talk show to promote “Unholy,” his hit with Kim Petras, which just peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Clarkson, who recently received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has been a longtime fan of Smith’s music, covering their songs “Stay With Me,” “Lay Me Down,” and “Too Good At Goodbyes” over the years.

The 30-year-old pop star also revealed that Ed Sheeran gifted them with a six-foot marble penis statue, which he might name the Duke of Hastings, inspired by Bridgerton.