Kelly Clarkson marked Halloween on October 31, 2023, with a Kellyoke performance of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” built around a stark piano arrangement and a full vampire-inspired look. The staging leaned into the song’s gothic imagery, while Clarkson’s vocal interpretation gave the familiar track a more theatrical feel.
Clarkson wore a floor-length black gown with flowing sleeves, a black choker and makeup designed to look like bloody tears. Instead of performing with her usual backing band, Y’all, she was accompanied by a pianist. His eerie arrangement stripped the song back, and his costume added another Halloween touch to the segment.
A piano-led take on “Vampire”
The performance kept the song’s emotional intensity but shifted its musical setting. Clarkson sang Rodrigo’s lyrics over the piano, building the arrangement around her voice rather than a full band. She added high notes and sweeping vocal runs, bringing a dramatic edge to a song already shaped by images of betrayal and bloodsucking.
The result was a Halloween Kellyoke that connected the song’s subject matter to its staging without abandoning its emotional core. The contrast between the spare accompaniment and Clarkson’s powerful delivery was central to the cover’s approach.
Rodrigo released “Vampire” in June 2023 as the lead single from her second album, GUTS. She discussed the track’s origins in a June interview with Rolling Stone, recalling that piano chords she played gave her a gothic feeling. Rodrigo said the vampire imagery grew from that atmosphere and that the song drew on a personal experience, including the anger that can follow a painful situation.
The song behind the performance
“Vampire” quickly became a major chart success: it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the chart dated November 4, 2023, it was at No. 11 and had spent 17 weeks on the ranking.
Clarkson’s Halloween cover arrived soon after The Kelly Clarkson Show began its fifth season. She had opened the season with a Kellyoke rendition of Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter.” For the October Halloween installment, she instead turned to Rodrigo’s recent hit, matching its dark imagery with a pared-back musical arrangement and a vivid stage look.
