Kelly Clarkson Owns 1980s With Stirring Performance Of Madonna's 'Borderline'

Jan 22, 2021 by apost team

America’s own singing sweetheart, Kelly Clarkson, is a powerhouse performer on both the stage and the small screen. In January 2021, she captured a piece of radio gold from the 1980s with her amazing cover of Madonna’s “Borderline” during a segment on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." Fans and critics alike agreed that it was pop perfection and that Clarkson's star has never been brighter.

Clarkson's riveting performance came recently during a fun and popular portion of her show called Kellyoke. This segment allows viewers to regularly see the star of the show cover some of their favorite tunes in her signature power-vocal style. Madonna fans were certainly in for a treat on that day when Clarkson stepped up to the mic to perform one of Madonna’s first and most memorable chart-topping hits, “Borderline."

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"The Kelly Clarkson Show" studio set was outfitted for the performance with perfect 80s nightclub flash complete with spotlights and colorful neon all around. The vibe was beautifully reminiscent of the party scene of the 1980s era.

Bright lights and geometric shapes danced around the star as she belted out the familiar lines from the legendary song. Supported by classic '80s keyboard sounds, background harmonies and piercing drumbeats, Clarkson captured the feel of the original Madonna hit, and fans agreed that it was purely amazing.

One YouTube fan enthusiastically commented, “KC PERFECT as ALWAYS!” Another fan gushed that Kelly is a “true songstress and vocal legend.” Plenty of other viewers and listeners agreed as the video quickly racked up more than 100,000 views on YouTube and garnered praise from the nationwide audience that got to see the performance when the show aired on their local television stations.

Clarkson's performance offered fun and flashy walk back through time. Regular viewers will certainly be anticipating more exciting Kellyoke performances in the days and months ahead, some of which could very likely be more cover tunes from Madonna’s legendary catalog of hits.

The choice of song for this particular Kellyoke performance was an obvious winner. The song “Borderline” first appeared on Madonna’s debut album all the way back in 1983. The song was a fast favorite after its official release the following year, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in June of that year. Even after all these years, the time-tested song still brings fans to their feet, and Clarkson is clearly a big fan of Madonna and her music as well.

Clarkson has covered a variety of Madonna’s songs over her career, beginning from her earliest days of notoriety on "American Idol." During her now legendary audition for the show, the up-and-coming star belted out her own version of “Express Yourself” for the judges. Of course, Clarkson went on to win the competition and become the first "American Idol" mega-star. She later covered the same song on a different segment of Kellyoke during a 2019 episode of her own talk show.

Fans also got another taste of Clarkson's tribute to a Madonna hit during the pandemic in April of 2020. She graciously gave her audience a rousing rendition of Madonna’s 1989 song “Like a Prayer” as she filmed her talk show from her Montana ranch during the lockdown. Fans clearly loved getting to hear the vocalist bring back a classic on her show once again.

Clarkson's vocals beautifully complement these monumental pop music hits, which may be the reason she returns to them again and again. And fans of both Clarkson and Madonna are happily on board for every performance.

Many fans remember Clarkson from her early days of stepping onto the "American Idol" stage, but younger fans are much more acquainted with her more recent work. Over her nearly two-decade career, Clarkson has tapped into many different entertainment avenues, including music, television, movies and, most recently, with her daily talk show that bears her name.

Clarkson's vibrant and bubbly personality has always shown through whatever sort of creative work she was doing, so it makes sense that she was eventually approached about doing a talk show. "The Kelly Clarkson Show" began in the fall of 2019 and quickly garnered big audience numbers and several awards. The show earned three Daytime Emmy Awards, one of which was for Clarkson herself for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.

“I like talking and I like people,” Clarkson noted in one recent interview as she expounded on the beginnings of her talk show. She was also very excited about the prospect of incorporating music regularly into the program to round out the show and let her stretch the full range of her talents. This may explain why the Kellyoke segment quickly became a successful fan favorite especially when Kelly is covering such superstars as Madonna.

Kelly explained recently she felt very comfortable with doing the show from the very beginning. “American Idol was such a blessing for me in many different ways, but I’ve always been in theatre and on stage," she said. But with Idol, we didn’t have an audience that first season. We had to perform to the camera.”

She pointed out that the huge number of performances and interviews required for that first season of American Idol taught her a lot about how to handle television. “That was a really good crash course for being on TV and everything,” she said.

Those skills are now being translated into high ratings and accolades on daytime television. Now in its second season, "The Kelly Clarkson Show" is growing in popularity and recognition and shows no signs of slowing down even with the unexpected pandemic issues faced by our world and the personal issues Clarkson has dealt with recently.

“Having my show and having people on (the show) that really represent the best side of humanity and what we’re capable of and the hope in it, that’s been a real need for me,” Clarkson explained in one interview to demonstrate the personal benefits of hosting the talk show.

“I’m highly adaptable,” Clarkson said about bringing her show into her home during the early days of lockdown and extreme safety precautions. She is also very excited to be back in the studio to be able to create such explosive performances as the “Borderline” cover for her fans to enjoy.

Clarkson's career has been a whirlwind to follow. Her vocal prowess and personable nature are magnetic, bringing her a large fan base for any endeavor and for every powerhouse performance. If you have enjoyed this walk through the “Borderline” performance and Clarkson’s stardom, be sure to send this article to anyone else who might need their day brightened with a pop of '80s music nostalgia.