This past weekend, the Kennedy Center aired its annual celebration of distinguished figures in the performing arts, who have made a lasting impact on American culture.
Of the honorees is country star Garth Brooks, for whom Kelly Clarkson paid tribute to with an emotional rendition of his song, “The Dance”.
Clarkson previously shared why the song is important to her, admitting how Brooks’ lyrics helped her through her divorce from her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock when the singer visited her talk show last year.
“There’s so much shame and guilt,” Clarkson told Brooks, who is also a divorcee.
“I couldn’t quite nail down the feeling. Like you don’t want to crap on it, like, you don’t want to say that [relationship] doesn’t count or matter, but you don’t know what to put in it because it didn’t work out like you wanted.”
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Clarkson continued, saying: “So, anyway, I kid you not, I was listening to my playlist and ‘The Dance’ came on. And I was like, ‘No, that’s the thing. That’s it.'”
Brooks’ tune struck such a nerve, that it inspired Clarkson to write her own “therapeutic” song, which will appear on her upcoming album.
And due to the emotional effect “The Dance,” has on Clarkson, she admitted she was nervous to sing — something that is a rare occurrence for her.
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“I was texting Trisha Yearwood before the show and then I go on stage and I saw them and like all of a sudden, I am the sweatiest human on planet earth. And I got a little nervous, and I don’t get nervous singing,” Clarkson told Entertainment Tonight.
“That woman is a true friend to a song. She’s amazing,” Brooks said of Clarkson’s performance — who teared up at her rendition.
In addition to Brooks, the honorees for the 43rd Annual Kennedy Centers Honors include Dick Van Dyke, Midori, Joan Baez, as well as Debbie Allen. The ceremony also featured performances by Derek Hough, Vanessa Hudgens, Pentatonix, Gladys Knight, Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Allen, and Yo-Yo Ma.
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