This ‘Voice’ Singer Performed a Kelly Clarkson Song Right In Front Of Her — Here’s How Clarkson Reacted

It’s not everyday that you get to perform a Kelly Clarkson song in front of an audience — but when Clarkson herself is also in the audience, well, that takes things to a whole new level. But, singer Abby Cates didn’t let that intimidate her on a recent episode of “The Voice”!

She sang Clarkson’s hit song “Because Of You” in front of the judges Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Jennifer Hudson and of course, Clarkson herself.

Cates not only had the blessing of Clarkson going into this — but she also completely wowed her with the performance. The 17-year-old singer is a member of Clarkson’s team, so Clarkson actually chose this song for Cates to sing.

“I wrote it at 16, it literally just started as a poetry kind of thing because I just needed to get it out and my mom was like ‘you are very angry about something, you should start writing,'” Clarkson reportedly told Cates in an episode of “The Voice.” “I wanted this song to sound different when I was recording it because, when I was writing it, I had different intent. Abby is singing this song how I wish I would have sang it in the beginning.”

And Cates did manage to make the song her own, mixing up the vocals throughout the song and, ultimately, really showing her range.

You can see her performance in this video from “The Voice” YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqfoLiK_xTg

Just for comparison, here’s Clarkson’s original take on “Because Of You,” from the singer’s own YouTube channel:

Throughout “The Voice” performance, it’s clear that Clarkson is mesmerized with Cates’ vocal ability. And at the end, Clarkson can’t help but clap her hands and let out a resounding “Yes,” like the proud coach she is!

This performance was part of a “Knockout Round.” Cates was up against singer Claire DeJean, who ultimately got sent home at the end of the round.

Clarkson may have been asking a lot of her team member to perform one of her own songs, but she’s no stranger to this concept. Clarkson’s not only performed Reba McEntire’s “Does He Love You” in the past, but she’s even performed it alongside McEntire. Talk about nerve-racking!

The duo performed the country classic song together at the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards. You can see their rendition in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-WTPiSMDI

So, this teacher isn’t asking her pupil to do anything she hasn’t done before, and given Cates’ talent and Clarkson’s coaching ability — we have a feeling the teen will go far!

“The Voice” airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7 p.m. Central on NBC.