Kelly Clarkson brought a very special guest onstage during a recent show in Las Vegas — her daughter, River Rose.
Clarkson, 43, and River Rose, 11, performed the singer’s 2015 hit “Heartbeat Song” on Friday, July 18, during the singer’s “Studio Sessions” show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Footage of the performance quickly circulated online, showing the pair dressed similarly in black jeans and t-shirts and leaning into one another as they sang the tune. A beaming Clarkson could also be seen energizing River Rose, who was holding her earpiece before she started to sway back and forth with her mom.
River is no stranger to sharing the stage alongside her famous mom — the pair previously performed the same song together in August 2023, also while performing in Sin City.
The return to the stage has been a triumphant one for Clarkson, who postponed the Vegas residency only hours before it was set to begin on July 4.
“We have been working 24/7 to make Studio Sessions the most intimate and extraordinary experience with and for my incredible fan,” she wrote in a statement at the time. “I am beyond grateful that you always show up for me, and I am devastated to have to postpone tonight and tomorrow’s opening at Caesars. The prep and rehearsals have taken a toll on my voice.”
She added, “I want the shows to be perfect for y’all, and I need to protect myself from doing serious damage so I am taking this weekend and next week to rest up so that we can deliver what you all deserve. The show is truly incredible.”
The residency began in earnest on July 11. Clarkson apologized to fans in attendance, especially those whohad tickets to the previous weeks’ performances.
“Man, I’m so sorry if some of y’all had [tickets to] last weekend’s shows,” she began. “I’m so sorry. We can’t help our bodies sometimes, and that happens, but thank you for showing up. We’re so excited.”
The singer and talk show host added that this slate of performances is her favorite to date.
“I love being in the studio, and that’s where this entire idea came from,” she said of the stage. “[I’ll] give you a little sneak peek of what we do, and there’s nothing like getting in the studio with a bunch of musicians and just vibing with each other. You’re feeding off [everyone’s] different emotional state, and it’s just really cool.”
During the same concert, Clarkson revealed why she made a lyric swap to her song “Piece by Piece” following her 2020 divorce from Brandon Blackstock.
“I wrote it [when] I was feeling a type of way, and hoping more than [anything],” Clarkson explained. “And then, I changed it a couple summers ago. I had to sing it. I was like, ‘I gotta sing it ‘cause people kept asking for it.’ But, it just didn’t feel right.”
She continued, “I was like, ‘I kinda like the way I’m going with it,’ so I changed it just a little bit more. It became aware to me that, man, this is a lot to put on one person anyway. Like, therapy, hey! I ended up as more of an empowering thing, like, ‘Cool, it didn’t happen for me, but that doesn’t mean you’re not worthy [or] valuable.’”
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