Article Dec 16, 2016

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Kelly Clarkson tears up performing Hamilton song

Kelly Clarkson was moved to tears on TV on Monday (05Dec16) as she performed her cover of the emotional It's Quiet Uptown from Broadway hit Hamilton.

The pop star was invited to record her version of the track, written by the musical's creator and former star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, for the new compilation, The Hamilton Mixtape, but Kelly admits she has struggled to sing the tune without breaking down in tears - because it chronicles the death of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton's young son.

"I've made it through once, without (crying)," the mother-of-two shared as she prepared to perform the tune on the Today show. "The problem is you wanna be emotional, but it's hard to be so much when you're singing, because legit (sic), no sound will come out of my mouth if I start crying!"

Kelly made it to the end of the song before her eyes started welling up with tears, and she jokingly scolded Miranda on live TV for penning such heart-wrenching lyrics, saying, "Too good, Lin!".

The singer later explained her emotions have been out of control since becoming a mother to her daughter River Rose, two, and seven-month-old boy Remington.

"Ever since having kids, I cry at everything," she smiled. "I can't control it, and it (the song)'s like, about a boy dying and I have a son, so I'm (really emotional). Lin did such a great job writing them. That's a tearjerker."

Kelly recently revealed she was actually nearing the end of her second pregnancy when she was asked to get involved in the project, and she admits the timing wasn't the greatest.

"I was emailed the song at like, one in the morning, and I was pregnant with my little boy, and I had not seen Hamilton, so really I'm just like, a couple weeks from having my boy, and the song is about a boy dying!" she recalled on Today. "I typed back, I was like, 'Are you serious right now? I'm so worried about a miscarriage!' But it was so beautiful..."

The star has since been inundated with compliments from fans about her version of It's Quiet Uptown, and Kelly confesses she never expected to garner so much attention from The Hamilton Mixtape.

"When I said yes, I had no idea what I was saying yes to," she told Entertainment Weekly last month (Nov16). "But what it's turned into has just been this crazy fan thing. The amount I get tweeted about it is insane!"

Other artists to contribute Hamilton covers to the album include Usher, Alicia Keys, The Roots, Sia, and Nas.