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Wait, Did Kelly Clarkson Record a Song with Michelle Obama?
Kelly Clarkson was part of an all-female girl squad who sang the anthem "This Is For My Girls" as part of an initiative for then-First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016.
She may be “Miss Independent,” but musical powerhouse Kelly Clarkson has collaborated with some of the industry’s best — and one of those collaborations has some presidential ties.
Kelly Clarkson Records Song with Michelle Obama
The Voice alum lended her impressive vocal talent to then-First Lady Michelle Obama’s all-female anthem “This Is For My Girls” in 2016.
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The song, which also featured Missy Elliot, Janelle Monae, Zendaya, Kelly Rowland, Lea Michelle, Chloe and Halle, and Jadagrace, was part of a “global call-to-action” to support two Obama initiatives aimed at improving education for women across the world, according to Billboard.
“This is for my girls, all around the world/ Stand up, put your head up, don’t take nothing from nobody/ This is for my girls, stand up and be heard/ This is for my ladies, my sisters all over, this is for my girls,” the all-star squad sang in the chorus.
All the proceeds from the track were donated the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund, which was part of former First Lady’s #62MillionGirls campaign at the time, reported NBC’s TODAY.
“It happened so fast — literally Kelly Clarkson was singing her part in Nashville while we were almost mastering it,” songwriter Diane Warren told Billboard. “So we dropped her vocals in. It was that crazy.”
The mission fit right in with Clarkson, whose girl-power infused hits like “Since U Been Gone,” “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger),”and latest track “Me” are on most women’s power playlists.
“#ThisIsForMyGirls Education is key to opening minds and doors to opportunities that are absolutely possible!” Clarkson wrote on Twitter at the time, along with a link to share more about the innovative project.
It isn’t the only connection Clarkson has to the popular First Lady.
The next year in 2017, Clarkson revealed that she wrote her song “Go High” from the Meaning of Life album after hearing Michelle Obama speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“When they go low, we go high,” Obama famously said during the convention.
The character-driven mantra resonated with Clarkson because of its all-too-real implications in life.
“When Michelle said that I was like, ‘That is the perfect idea for this song!’” she told the entertainment magazine. “Everyone relates to that. No one has gone through life without relating to at some point having to take the high road.”
Clarkson — who once again served as a Coach earlier this year during The Voice’s 23rd season — has been topping the charts with her music for more than two decades.
The pop icon rose to fame after being the first person to ever win American Idol in 2002.
Her 10th album, Chemistry, was released on June 23. Clarkson has said the new album follows the trajectory of a relationship.
"Having chemistry with someone is an incredible, and overwhelming, feeling," Clarkson wrote on Instagram."It’s like you have no choice in the matter. You are just drawn to each other. This can be good and bad. This album takes you down every path that chemistry could lead you down.”
When Clarkson isn’t taking the stage to sing her chart-topping hits, she can be found at the helm of her own talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.
