Extraterrestrial-Themed Music Festival to Land in Las Vegas

After leading the events division of major Hispanic media giant SBS (Spanish Broadcasting Systems) for more than a decade, executive Lucas Piña is applying his live event experience to build a very different kind of festival.

The Mega Extraterrestrial Fest V (or MEF5 for short), which is being billed as “the first extraterrestrial global brand,” is envisioned as a three-day fest that will feature 11 hours of music daily, featuring more than 30 DJs and artists. The fest will also feature “characters” designed and created for the festival’s multiverse, which will be built using holograms, special effects, digital animation, augmented reality and an original soundtrack.

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The event is slated to take place in Las Vegas in 2027 and is being produced and built by Piña’s company, 360 Worldwide Entertainment (360WWE), in partnership with MGM Resorts, global production company Production Resource Group (PRG, which most recently worked on the digital technology of the film Smile 2) and SBS Entertainment. Other partners include Sony Music, special effects design company Weta Workshop and character development and visual effects company MIO Design NYC.

MGM Latin announcement

Courtesy Photo

The MEF5 concept was developed by Piña after he left his post as head of SBS Entertainment In 2019. The objective was always to create a music-centric multiverse steeped in fantasy for what he calls the “Ser-Ser Generation,” which is non-violent and invites fans to engage in self-discovery.

Piña set his sights on Las Vegas as a launching pad and enlisted a roster of A-list producers and partners to execute his vision, including John Fragomeni as co-founder and president. Fragomeni was previously global president of Digital Domain during the years the entertainment and production studio was nominated for multiple Academy Awards for best visual effects for Spider Man: No Way Home and Avengers: Infinity War, among others.

Four-time Tony winner Jere Harris, founder and executive chairman of PRG, was brought in as general producer for the entire festival, also bringing extensive experience in creating and producing large-scale stagings, including EFX at MGM Las Vegas and Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

Harris, in turn, brought in James Lehner, also of PRG, as general producer, with a background that includes the development of attractions like Terminator 2 in 3D and Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.

The executive team at 360 also includes Grace Roeder as founder and president of mergers & acquisitions, and Luis Pascual as chief creator of scenography experience.

While Piña plans to expand the MEF5 brand into areas like film, games and crypto, the starting point is the Las Vegas festival.

“It is a genre of cosmic fantasy that integrates philosophy, spirituality, science, and technology,” says Piña. “Through these four narratives, we seek to find the right information for a simpler understanding, from a non-violent perspective, developing a new community that will be identified as the SER-SER generation.”

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The Credit Comeback: How Apple, Genius and YouTube Are Rewriting Liner Notes

Musicians are still widely thought of as sidemen, but they’re quietly gaining prominence as digital companies mature.

Allmusic.com, a reference site that launched in 1994, is the granddaddy of the free, public-facing sources for country musician data, routinely providing credits for entire albums. But Apple Music and Genius.com have upped the competition for information by providing more granular data for individual tracks. And YouTube, in recent years, has begun stuffing track-specific musician info into the gray area that features copyright material and total views underneath its videos. In some cases, the public inputs the data. In others, data experts such as Xperi gather the information and lease it to public  sites.

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“It’s the latest phase in a very interesting, convoluted journey, starting with the demise of physical product,” says Nashville’s American Federation of Musicians Local 257 president Dave Pomeroy. “There’s less and less physical product [with] space to write the credits in.”

To be certain, that reduction in space for credits occurred before the streaming era began. Track-by-track credits probably peaked in album liner notes in the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly among jazz, rock and pop recordings. When the CD replaced vinyl albums, the liner notes tended to lump the project’s total musician credits together. If the credits featured, say, five different drummers and 10 guitarists, it was impossible for the listener to know which were participating in a particular track. Plus, the type was so small that many consumers needed a magnifying glass to read them. It was such a hassle that a once-pleasurable experience became a chore.

And yet, that CD platform looked more attractive to music nerds once the streaming era took hold.

“If you’re downloading an mp3, you’re lucky to get an album cover, let alone figure out who played harpsichord or saxophone or who did the turntables on the specific track,” AllMusic.com senior product manager Zac Johnson says. “That has been lost for a while, but I think people are seeing the importance of it. Being able to [provide] that kind of stuff — not only at an album level, but at a song level — is of value to people.”

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The uptick in musician credits is a result of at least two different developments. First, record labels have stepped up their game in providing that kind of metadata to companies that want to use it.

“It used to be a real hodgepodge,” Johnson says. “Sometimes you’d [just] get a UPC and an album title, and sometimes you would get everything down to the hair and makeup people that worked on the album. So I think it has improved over the years.”

Additionally, the resurgence of vinyl albums has returned the available space for liner notes on physical product to 1970s levels, and that info is thus more readily available to fans who, once they’re approved, input that data to some public sites, including Genius and Wikipedia.

“There is some amount of information that we get directly from artists and their teams, but that’s definitely the minority,” says Genius.com product manager Colby Handy. “We have over 10 million song pages on the site, and it’s really just those passionate music fans who wait up late at night for the album drop just to transcribe the lyrics or they’re eager for the next announcement from their favorite artists, and they kind of get the recognition and feel like [they’re] being a part of the music as it comes out.”

Maintaining that metadata is harder than it might appear. Some sites, for example, have listings for both the misspelled guitarist Dan Huff and the correctly labeled Dann Huff. HARDY, meanwhile, is the stage name for songwriter Michael Hardy, and the data-entry staff — as well as their editors — need to be aware of as many of those alternate names as they can to make their database as authoritative as possible.

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And for most websites, that data is not the primary attraction. Some 90% of Genius.com visitors use the site for lyrics, Handy says, and the musician info is intended to enrich the experience. YouTube visitors presumably would reference that data as they listen to a particular song, possibly combing through the credits to identify the guitarist who plays the solo, as an example. When they see that same name on other songs, it becomes another layer of understanding that can make the listening experience deeper.

“As a casual music listener, especially as a young casual music listener, you might not even think about who’s playing the drums,” Handy notes. “You might not even think to look for that information. And so having that be accessible to everyone feels really important for us because it exposes that idea to people. And you can kind of get lost going through the interconnected spiderweb of it all.”

Making the information accessible is one thing; making it obvious is another. Seventy percent of Genius.com’s traffic comes from mobile devices, according to Handy, and smartphones’ smaller screens make it more difficult to present metadata in a spot on the page where most viewers can see it without compromising their access to the lyrics that typically drove them to the site.

AllMusic.com’s Johnson says he has seen plenty of companies attempt to build a business around metadata, only to disappear within a few years. The AFM’s Pomeroy has likewise been in talks for decades about those credits, which affect payments to union members when recordings are used on TV shows or in commercials.

Still, despite the growing interest in credits, no one to date can take credit for standardizing the data.

“I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had over the last 10 years, if not 20 years, about metadata and how metadata was going to fix everything because all the information is going to get embedded into the files,” Pomeroy says. “But I’m not aware of there ever being a consensus as to what the format in the system was going to be.”

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Michael Jackson Biopic Pushed to April 2026 Release

Michael, the highly anticipated biopic from Lionsgate and Universal Pictures and directed by Antoine Fuqua will now debut on April 24, 2026, instead of its originally slated October 2025 release.

The decision—first reported by Deadline—comes after the principal photography wrapped in May 2024, but extensive reshoots and a lengthy initial cut required extra post‑production time. Studio executives had previously hinted at a delay while determining whether to split Michael into two parts, given its ambitious scope and $155 million budget.

The screenplay by John Logan explores key chapters of Jackson’s life, from his childhood under Joe and Katherine Jackson’s strict guidance to his record‑breaking solo career. Jaafar Jackson, the late singer’s real-life nephew, steps into the role of Michael Jackson.

The cast includes Colman Domingo and Nia Long as Joe and Katherine Jackson; Miles Teller as attorney John Branca; Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy; Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe; Kat Graham as Diana Ross; Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson; Liv Symone as Gladys Knight; Kevin Shinick as Dick Clark; and Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones, among others.

Oscar‑winning producer Graham King (The Departed) leads a production team that has negotiated rights to some of Jackson’s most iconic songs. According to sources, this involved complex discussions with Jackson’s estate and multiple music publishers to recreate the sound and spectacle of Jackson’s onstage performances.

King previously shared, “I’m so honored to tell Michael’s story. It’s been a long journey, and I’m excited for the film to show audiences around the world a perspective of Michael that they’ve never seen.”

Adam Fogelson, Chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, added, “Michael Jackson was inarguably one of the greatest entertainers of all time. His impact on music, video, art, fashion, and culture is still profoundly relevant.”

Universal will handle international distribution—excluding Japan, where Kino Films holds the release rights—while Lionsgate retains domestic theatrical duties.

As the April 2026 release approaches, Lionsgate and Universal plan to roll out teasers and behind‑the‑scenes featurettes showcasing Jaafar Jackson’s transformation, archival footage integration, and recreations of Jackson’s legendary performances.

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RAYE to Receive Ivors Academy Honor Following Songwriter Royalties Campaign

RAYE has carved out yet another milestone in her ascendant career by becoming a recipient of an Ivors Academy Honor.

The Ivors Academy has announced that the multi BRIT award-winning musician will receive the accolade at the maiden Ivors Academy Honours event in London this fall (Oct. 2). The ceremony is set to celebrate the artists and industry figures driving positive change for songwriters and composers, and will take place at the InterContinental London Park Lane.

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The news follows the announcement that the U.K. government has confirmed the introduction of a £75 per diem for songwriters and session musicians. The agreement has been backed by the U.K. arms of major labels Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group.

At The Ivors in 2023, RAYE called on labels to allocate songwriters a share of master recording revenues. In her acceptance speech for the best contemporary song award – which she won for smash hit “Escapism” – she highlighted the need for a greater level of respect to be shown towards “voiceless beating heart of the industry, which is songwriters.”

In a statement, Roberto Neri, chief executive of The Ivors Academy said, “An incredible multi award-winning artist, RAYE is the one of the most gifted songwriters of her generation and always gives full respect and voice to fellow writers. She has consistently called for better pay and greater recognition for songwriters, championing structural change to protect the talent behind the music we love. We’re proud to honour her with this well-deserved recognition.”

Over the past few years, south Londoner RAYE (born Rachel Keen) has been at the forefront of this conversation, repeatedly pushing for a more inclusive and equitable music industry while also speaking out about the imbalance of power between artists and labels and the financial challenges faced by new artists.

She split with her former label Polydor in July 2021, to which she signed in 2014, after taking to social media to explain that they would not let her release any new music unless her singles reached a certain level of commercial success. She has since worked as an independent act via distribution company Human Re Sources, a subsidiary of The Orchard. Her Mercury Prize-nominated debut LP My 21st Century Blues landed in February 2023, hitting No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

The vocalist is currently gearing up for her biggest headline show to date at London’s All Points East festival on Aug. 23. Support acts include Doechii, Cat Burns, and JADE, while Tyla is billed as a special guest.

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Sabrina Carpenter Reveals ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Tracklist via Golden Retriever

Sabrina Carpenter has taken the notion of “man’s best friend” quite literally in the weeks leading up to her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend.

Set for release on August 29 via Island Records, the LP’s rollout has been anything but ordinary: Carpenter enlisted a golden retriever puppy and a pair of lucky fans to unveil her tracklist, two songs at a time, in a series of Instagram and Twitter posts that combined star power with canine cuteness.

About a month after announcing the album, Carpenter began the tracklist reveal on July 23 by introducing track 12, “Goodbye,” alongside a photo of fan Mariah cradling the puppy in her arms. In her caption she wrote, “track #12 is ‘Goodbye’ but mariah is helping us say hello to our tracklist reveal.”

Two days later, Carpenter returned to the pup brigade to share track 11—“House Tour”—featuring fan Neriah in a similar snapshot, captioned “neriah & a golden = home sweet home. track #11 is ‘House Tour.’” Both posts drew hundreds of thousands of likes, with fans applauding the innovative, heartwarming approach.

Carpenter then took to Twitter to amplify the moment, reposting excited reactions from @overdosedontun (“omggg sabrina asked me to reveal track 11 ‘House Tour’ from Man’s Best Friend !!!”) and urging fellow fans to rally: “Track 11 stans rise.” Beyond the puppy reveals, Carpenter has maintained momentum for Man’s Best Friend by leaning into playful fan interaction and capitalizing on her comedic timing—qualities that have earned her more than 5 million Instagram followers and built genuine community around her music.

The forthcoming album follows 2024’s Short n’ Sweet and arrives amid Carpenter’s latest lead single “Manchild,” released on June 5. Man’s Best Friend will drop almost exactly a year after Carpenter released breakthrough album Short n’ Sweet, which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. So far, fans have only gotten to hear one song from the new record — “Manchild,” which dropped in June and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, marking Carpenter’s second-ever No. 1 song.

In keeping with the album’s canine theme, Man’s Best Friend is available to preorder in multiple formats, including a Jacob Rochester–painted picture disc that depicts Carpenter in a surreal tableau beside a suited figure.

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Timmy Trumpet Cancels European Shows Following Injury

Australian DJ Timmy Trumpet has been forced to cancel a handful of European dates after being sidelined due to injury.

The acclaimed producer broke the news to his fans on Wednesday (July 23) by way of an Instagram post which featured an image of him in a wheelchair and an orthopedic boot. No specifics were given as to the nature of the injury.

“Down and out… not exactly what you want mid summer festival season!” the musician wrote. “Regretfully following medical advice I won’t be able to perform this week while I undergo treatment, hoping for a speedy recovery. 

“I’m so sorry to everyone that was coming to see me 🙏 I hate cancelling shows and wish I was partying with you guys so fkn much.”

As indicated, Timmy Trumpet will no longer be appearing at his planned show in Sables, France on July 24, and festival slots at Germany’s Open Beatz Festival and Belgium’s Tomorrowland on July 25 and 27, respectively.

Currently, he is scheduled to return to the stage on Aug. 1 as part of Canada’s Veld Music Festival. The remainder of his current tour schedule sees him performing myriad shows throughout Europe and North and South America until November.

Timmy Trumpet first rose to fame as a trumpet for Australian duo the Stafford Brothers before going solo as a DJ while utilizing live trumpet in his sets.

His breakthrough single, “Freaks,” was released in 2014, with the track – a collaboration with New Zealand’s Savage – peaking at No. 3 in Australia and reaching the top ten in a handful of European countries.

In 2019, Timmy Trumpet also became the first musician to perform a DJ set in zero gravity, with the achievement made possible thanks to the European Space Agency and German music promoters BigCityBeats. “It was like no other experience I’ve ever had before,” he explained at the time.

Timmy Trumpet released his debut album, Mad World, in 2020, and has frequently been listed as one of the top DJs in the world by DJ Mag, who listed the Australian at No. 5 in their 2024 list.

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Lucy Dacus Will Be Officiating Fans’ Weddings on Her Upcoming Tour

A Lucy Dacus concert is always an affair to remember, but now the musician’s concerts will be even more memorable as she plans to officiate fans’ weddings during the gigs.

Dacus first floated her offer onto social media last week ahead of Saturday’s (July 25) launch of her Forever is a Feeling Tour. 

“Just thinking about how there may be many people looking to secure those rights asap for whatever reason,” she wrote. “Or maybe money or logistics are getting in the way – would do this for free.”

Following a strong response to the initial message, Dacus again took to social media on Wednesday (July 23) to reveal that she had set up an information page and submission form on her website through which interested parties could apply.

“I’m officiated in the U.S., only a few cities on this tour may not be possible,” the musician wrote. “All the info is at the website, including how to get your marriage license by state.

“I can think of all sorts of reasons people may be interested in securing the rights granted through marriage (you know what I mean?),” Dacus added. “So if you’ve had it in mind forever or are just recently making the decision, I will be honored to do the honors!”

Dacus explained that the process will be “pretty easy,” with applicants just needing to bring their marriage license to the box office (adding it will be returned by the end of the performance). She also recognized the fact that some of the earlier dates in the upcoming tour “may be too soon for some people to sort their documents.”

Additionally, Dacus also pointed out that a handful of cities – including Philadelphia; Milwaukee; Lewiston, NY; Montreal; Vancouver; Oklahoma City; and her hometown of Richmond, Virginia – may include a “few local restrictions and extra steps.”

Dacus first rose to fame following the release of 2016 debut album No Burden. Alongside the release of 2018’s Historian, she co-founded the supergroup Boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and now-partner Julien Baker. Boygenius’ 2023 debut album, The Record, would peak at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, before the group embarked on a hiatus the following year.

In March, Dacus released her fourth studio album, Forever is a Feeling, which gave her a career-best result as a solo artist when it peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top Rock and Americana/Folk Albums Albums charts.

Lucy Dacus – Forever is a Feeling Tour 2025

July 25 – FDR Park, Philadelphia, PA
July 26 – KEMBA Live!, Columbus, OH
July 27 – Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
July 29 – Masonic Temple Theatre, Detroit, MI
July 30 – Artpark Mainstage Theater, Lewiston, NY
Aug. 1 – Osheaga, Montreal, Quebec
Aug. 2 – The Green at Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT
Aug. 3 – Back Cove Festival, Portland, ME
Aug. 8 – McMenamins Edgefield, Portland, OR
Aug. 9 – Morrison Center, Boise, ID
Aug. 10 – Remlinger Farms, Carnation, WA
Aug. 12 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia
Aug. 13 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia
Aug. 16 – The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
Sept. 9 – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, San Diego, CA
Sept. 11 – Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
Sept. 12 – Blossoms & Bones Ghost Ranch Festival, Abiquiu, NM
Sept. 13 – The Criterion, Oklahoma City, OK
Sept. 15 – Stifel Theatre, St. Louis, MO
Sept. 16 – Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
Sept. 17 – The Louisville Palace Theater, Louisville, KY
Sept. 19 – Altria Theater, Richmond, VA
Sept. 20 – DPAC, Durham, NC
Sept. 21 – Shaky Knees Festival, Atlanta, GA
Sept. 23 – Asheville Yards, Asheville, NC
Sept. 24 – Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, PA
Sept. 26 – All Things Go Music Festival, Queens, NY
Sept. 27 – All Things Go Music Festival, Columbia, MD

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Zak Starkey Recalls Turning Down Offer to Drum for Black Sabbath

In the wake of Ozzy Osbourne’s passing, Zak Starkey has shared the regret he feels for once turning down an offer to sit behind the kit for Black Sabbath.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday (July 23), Starkey shared a message from his personal archives which saw Osbourne’s wife and manager, Sharon, contacting him about a potential gig as drummer for Black Sabbath’s festival and recording commitments.

“Black Sabbath is headlining Download on June 10 and then Lollapalooza in August,” Sharon said in reference to the band’s 2012 plans. “The guys need a drummer for their album, which will be recorded in September with Rick Rubin producing. 

“We would probably need you for 2-3 weeks for the album. Also, they need a drummer to play at Lollapalooza which is on August 3 in Chicago,” she added. “Also, Ozzy wants to have sex with you while he is singing ‘Iron Man.’”

“Regrets I’ve had a few – this is one,” Starkey wrote in the caption to his post, before adding, “Not the sex part!”

“One of the greatest, natural, brilliant singers of all time,” he added. “I send much love and strength to his family at this sad sad time. If u aren’t familiar with the Never Say Die record – get into it – it’s so far out.”

At the time of Sharon’s initial request, Starkey was employed as the drummer for The Who, though had been forced to take some away from his touring commitments with a group due to a “tendon problem.” Starkey’s 29-year tenure with The Who would ultimately end this year following his firing from the band.

Starkey didn’t specify as to whether his tendon issues were why he would ultimately decline the request, though Tommy Clufetos would be recruited to sit in for Black Sabbath’s live appearances, while Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk would perform on the group’s final album, 13, which was eventually released in June 2013.

Osbourne passed away on Tuesday (July 22) at the age of 76, just 17 days after making his final appearance as part of the Back to the Beginning concert, which also featured Black Sabbath’s first live show in eight years.

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HANA’s ‘Blue Jeans’ Bows at No. 1 With Biggest Week for Any Act in 2025 on Japan Hot 100

HANA’s “Blue Jeans” debuts at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released July 23.

The track included in the new girl group’s second CD single, released on the 16th, marked the highest total weekly points for any song during this year’s tracking period. It dominated downloads, streaming and video views, while coming in at No. 3 for sales and No. 8 for radio airplay. It also racked up the highest number of weekly streams for this year, at 16,247,580 streams.

The top 3 songs with the highest weekly points this year are:

1. HANA, “Blue Jeans,” 19,152 points
2. BE:FIRST, “GRIT,” 16,398 points
3. BE:FIRST, “Spacecraft,” 16,125 points

The top 3 for highest weekly streams this year are:
1. HANA, “Blue Jeans,” 16,247,580 streams
2. Mrs. GREEN APPLE, “Lilac,” 15,713,177 streams (on the chart released Jan. 15)
3. Mrs. GREEN APPLE, “Lilac,” 14,041,086 streams (on the chart released Jan. 22)

HANA dominated the top 2 spots this week on the Japan Hot 100, with its debut single “ROSE” rising four notches to No. 2. CD sales gained 257%, streaming 118%, downloads 121%, and karaoke 130% compared to the week before. The septet has three songs charting in the top 10 this week, with “Burning Flower” coming in at No. 9.

Panda Dragon’s “Maji Majinai” debuts at No. 3. The five-member boy band’s first single after signing with Universal Music launched with 92,518 CDs to hit No. 1 for sales.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Darling” follows at No. 4 and “KUSUSHIKI” at No. 5. The former moves 8-4 to return to the top 5 after about three and a half months, powered by a surge in radio (about 16 times more than last week) and gains in downloads and karaoke. The latter comes in at No. 2 for streaming, No. 6 for video, No. 19 for downloads, and No. 20 for karaoke.

Elsewhere on the Japan Hot 100, Kana Nishino’s iconic hit from 2010, “Aitakute Aitakute,” comes in at No. 59. One of the biggest J-pop songstresses from that decade, the singer-songwriter returned to showbiz last year after a break since 2019. The 36-year-old star recently dropped a performance of the longing ballad on THE FIRST TAKE YouTube channel, which led to an increase in downloads, streaming, videos, and karaoke.

Also, with the summer fireworks season underway, another veteran singer-songwriter’s hit from 1999, aiko’s “Hanabi,” is also moving steadily up the chart. The poetic classic about an ending love climbs from No. 97 to No. 84 to No. 80 this week, with streaming, video, and karaoke on the rise.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from July 14 to 20, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.

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Every Kellyoke Cover at Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Studio Sessions’ Las Vegas Residency (Updating)

Kellyoke has moved beyond The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s New York stage and all the way to Las Vegas.

At Kelly Clarkson‘s new “Studio Sessions” Las Vegas residency — which premiered at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on July 11 after the original July 4-5 opening weekend was postponed due to rehearsals taking “a toll” on her famous voice — the inaugural American Idol winner is including a Kellyoke cover as part of each night’s encore.

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8 Best Moments From the Opening Night of Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Studio Sessions’ Las Vegas Residency

Clarkson went big on opening night, tackling “I Will Always Love You,” the 1974 Dolly Parton classic that took on a new life with Whitney Houston’s 1992 cover for The Bodyguard film.

“I’m gonna preface [this] with no one should ever sing this song, but I got tricked one time,” Clarkson laughed to the July 11 crowd, explaining how Parton herself had requested that Kelly cover the enduring hit during a Dolly tribute at the 2022 ACM Awards. Clarkson also said that her version is a “marriage” of Parton’s original with Houston’s cover. “You can tell by some of my runs. I’ve been taking a little run here, a little run there from [Whitney], because I grew up on her. These are two of my favorite musical influences, and it’s such a beautiful song.”

For night 2, Clarkson tackled another song she’s previously performed: “Beggin’,” originally recorded by The Four Seasons in 1967 and famously covered by Italian rock band Måneskin in 2017, was also a Kellyoke pick on The Kelly Clarkson Show in March 2024.

Clarkson’s “Studio Sessions” residency — her second stint in Vegas, after her “Chemistry” run at PH Live in Planet Hollywood back in 2023 — has dates at Caesars Palace through Nov. 15. Below, find an updating list of every Kellyoke cover Clarkson performs during her new residency.

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