The song “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters has been everywhere since the movie was released in June 2025. This success earned the single the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for multiple weeks and it even won an Oscar for Best Original Song. But for all its popularity, it’s notoriously hard to sing. As such, fans had been hoping to hear it in the voice of a particularly gifted vocalist: Kelly Clarkson. Always down for a challenge, Clarkson finally delivered with flying colors.
The performance took place on the final episode of her TV program, The Kelly Clarkson Show. Known for performing covers of popular songs in a beloved segment called “Kellyoke,” the singer-turned-host marked the ending of her show with her most-requested song, which turned out to be “Golden.”
The appeal seemed to come half from the song’s popularity, and half out of curiosity as to how this difficult song would sound in the voice of the “Since U Been Gone” singer. As expected, Clarkson knocked it out of the park with her performance, displaying the amazing vocal range that made her win the very first edition of American Idol 24 years ago.
But what makes “Golden” so hard to sing? The song spans a massive vocal range of about two and a half octaves (from D3 to A5, or C3 to A5), which equals two octaves and a perfect fifth, meaning it goes from very low tones to daringly high notes. This also serves the movie’s narrative. “Golden” is purposefully made to sound otherworldly, driving home the fact that these K-pop stars’ voices are a super power that relies on them singing in harmony. The original version is split between the three talented singers, EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami. But here, Clarkson takes it all on by herself.
While “Golden” may have been conceived as a tricky song to sing, EJAE, who also co-wrote the song, seemed to prophesy that Clarkson is one of the few singers who could nail it—the other being Beyoncé—and that she could picture her singing “Golden.” Ami also said, “You know, when she covers a song, it does better. She has the voice for that.”
The performance has made waves beyond Clarkson’s audience, earning praise from the general public and her fellow singers. “Kelly done healed the honmoon by herself,” wrote Lin-Manuel Miranda, referring to the magical barrier that protects humans from demons in KPop Demon Hunters.
Clarkson’s “Kellyoke” may have gone out with a bang, but this is far from the last time we’ll hear her sing. “This isn’t goodbye. I’ll still be making music, playing shows here and there and you may catch me on ‘The Voice’ from time to time … you never know where I might show up next,” she said earlier this year, when she announced the end of The Kelly Clarkson Show. “But for now, I want to thank y’all so much for allowing our show to be a part of your lives, and for believing in us and hanging with us for seven incredible years.”
Watch Kelly Clarkson singing “Golden” in the video below.
Kelly Clarkson delivered a flawless performance of “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters, a notoriously difficult song to sing.
Kelly Clarkson: Instagram
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