Kelly Clarkson got the surprise of a lifetime when she was being interviewed on SiriusXM’s Morning Mashup show on Tuesday (Dec. 6). It was a normal morning for Clarkson as she stopped by the studio to talk about the holidays, hoarding, children, the Hamilton Mixtape and so much more.
The interview was going on at the exact time as the Grammy nomination announcements, and because Clarkson hadn’t put anything new out this year, she didn’t think too much of it. She was there to promote her work on the new Hamilton Mixtape, which features her singing the song “It’s Quiet Uptown” from the Tony Award-winning musical.
The radio hosts began playing a game with her called “How Well Do You Know Your Hamilton?”. They described different celebrities who share the last name Hamilton and she had to guess their first name. After two unsuccessful rounds, Morning Mashup co-host Christian Zamora interrupted the game to make a shocking announcement.
“We just got some breaking news in here,” he said. “Did you know you’re nominated for a Grammy?”
“What?! What am I nominated for?” she asked, looking absolutely shocked. She didn’t move a muscle for a few seconds, racking her brain for what she could possibly be in the running for.
“Oh wait!” she exclaimed, remembering that her incredibly emotional live performance on American Idol put her in the running. “‘Piece by Piece’, the live thing?!”
Once she confirmed with her team, who were in the next room, that this was, in fact, new news and no one knew about it, she celebrated with a high-pitched scream.
“Apparently you just have to cry on National television. Apparently people are really into that!” she said.
Clarkson’s live version of “Piece by Piece” is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance and will be her fourth Grammy, should she win. Her category includes Adele’s “Hello”, Beyoncé’s “Hold Up”, Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” and Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman”. Clarkson’s 2015 album of the same name received two Grammy nominations last year including Best Pop Vocal Album.
As most of the world knows, Clarkson got her start on American Idol and she stopped by during the final season to sing her emotionally-driven song “Piece By Piece”, which left the entire audience, and the millions at home watching, in tears.
Watch the full interview, including her priceless reaction (around the 5 minute mark) on live radio below.
https://www.facebook.com/morningmashup/videos/10155459363846124/
And watch her now-Grammy nominated performance of “Piece By Piece” below. You’ll need some tissues.