It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman. Scratch that. It’s Blaine’s (Darren Criss) alter ego, Nightbird. When New Directions find their coveted Nationals championship trophy missing, Blaine steps up to the plate to retrieve it. Is he chosen because of his super powers? Nope, it’s because his former school snatched their hardware. Can Blaine recover the trophy or will he be wooed over to the “Dark Side“? Cue Kelly Clarkson song.

Given the superheroes theme of Glee‘s “Dynamic Duets” episode, it was only fitting Clarkson’s ominous-sounding track be covered. Once Blaine enters the hallowed hallways of Dalton Academy, new Warbler, played by Gerard Funk, entices Blaine to try on his old blazer. Will the magical powers of the jacket lure Blaine back to the “Dark Side“? I guess, we’ll have to wait til tonight’s episode to find out. In the meantime, check out Darren Criss and the Warblers cover Kelly below.

watch the performance after the jump

Kelly Clarkson stepped onto the music scene and into the lives of many when she became the first winner of American Idol. That was 10 years ago. Since then she has released 5 studio albums, and has had 10 top ten singles. She has won countless awards and maintained a steady and solid career. Today she releases her first compilation album. Greatest Hits: Chapter One is a fantastic playlist of the American Idol winner’s top hits. Check out the playlist below…

• 1. Since U Been Gone
• 2. My Life Would Suck Without You
• 3. Miss Independent
• 4. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
• 5. Behind These Hazel Eyes
• 6. Because Of You
• 7. Never Again
• 8. Already Gone
• 9. Mr. Know It All
• 10. Breakaway
• 11. Don’t You Wanna Stay (with Jason Aldean)
• 12. Walk Away
• 13. Catch My Breath
• 14. People Like Us
• 15. Don’t Rush (featuring Vince Gill)
• 16. A Moment Like This
• 17. I’ll Be Home For Christmas

For me this isn’t a complete greatest hits playlist. Noticeably missing from the track list is the Katy Perry penned “I Do Not Hook Up”. This could be due to its medium performance on the charts. Either way, myself and every other Kelly Clarkson fan has been gifted with three new songs that I’m sure will not disappoint.

check out the new tracks after the jump

Typically, I don’t write a recap of the American Music Awards, but I have to give credit where credit is due… this year’s AMAs wasn’t a complete snoozefest. In fact, there were a couple of performances that were fantastic including Kelly Clarkson’s medley of her greatest hits and P!nk’s beyond impressive performance of “Try“. I never thought she’d top her hanging from the rafters acrobatic performance from the MTV VMAs a few years ago, but she did. For those young artists who can’t move around the stage without losing their breath, take a look at P!nk. Breath control to die for.

Justin Bieber walked away with the most trophies with three, while everyone musically-connected to him also scored hardware. His “Beauty and the Beat” duet partner, Nicki Minaj won two, while his mentor Usher also earned another AMA award. Even his “discovery” Carly Rae Jepsen took a trip to the podium. The Canadian singer won Best New Artist.

While all the youngsters earned wins, some oldies popped up on the show as well. Gloria Estefan, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder end even MC Hammer were there. I swear, when the “U Can’t Touch This” rapper popped up during Psy’s “Gangnam Style” performance, I literally lost my shizz. That was effin’ epic. All this time I thought “Gangnam Style” was the new “Macarena”. Instead, Psy is the Korean version of MC Hammer. Sh*tcatcher pants and all. Check out all the performances below, along with my thoughts on each one. Better hurry quick, before ABC inevitably asks YouTube to take the clips down.

check out my thoughts on each performance after the jump

I love Kelly Clarkson’s jilted rock pop anthems like “Since U Been Gone” and “Never Again“, but I love it even more when she strips it all away and it’s just all about her voice and fan-friggin-tastic tone. This week, Kelly’s Greatest Hits – Chapter One featuring several new songs hit stores, but the 30-year-old is also releasing an EP titled The Smoakstack Sessions Vol. 2. The first volume was included as a bonus disc of the Deluxe Edition of her last album, Stronger.

The Smoakstack Sessions Vol. 2 includes five tracks performed acoustically. One of them being a mashup of Alasis Morissette’s “That I Would Be Good” and Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody“. The result is one seamless ballad that’s a joy to listen to, especially if you’re a huge Kelly fan like myself. What I enjoy about Clarkson is her love of covering songs by other artists. If you’ve watched her concert, you know what I’m talking about. The original American Idol has a popular segment where she performs a cover based on fan requests. Check out her latest cover below.

The Smoakstack Sessions Vol. 2 Track Listing

• “I Never Loved a Man”
• “Your Cheatin’ Heart”
• “Walking After Midnight”
• “That I Would Be Good / Use Somebody”
• “Lies”

listen to the track after the jump

Kelly Clarkson, who just released her music video for “Catch My Breath” a few days ago, is set to release her Greatest Hits – Chapter One album this coming Monday, November 19. As the album title suggest, it features her best songs, but also has three new songs. Two of them you’ve already heard, and now the third called “People Like Us” has just surfaced online in full.

The upbeat and empowering song was written by Blair Daly, James Michael, and Meghan Kabir. It’s an excellent addition to the album and sure to be a hit. In one of the verses, Kelly sings, “People like us, we’ve got to stick together / Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever / Here’s to the damned, to the lost and forgotten / It’s hard to get high when you’re living on the bottom.” The song is perfect for her (or P!nk for that matter) and certainly highlights her incredible vocals.

Give “People Like Us” a listen below and let me know what you think. Do you like it better than “Catch My Breath“?

Listen to the track after the jump…

Kelly Clarkson’s newest video is of Biblical proportions. The original American Idol battles earth, wind and fire in her “Catch My Breath” clip. The 30-year-old singer even walks on water. At least that’s what it looks like. During all this, Clarkson is absolutely stunning while ‘catching’ her breath. Who knew I could be so captivated watching, in essence, four minutes of Kelly hair flipping in slo-motion. I can honestly say, I don’t think I could do that with a Beyonce vid.

Kelly’s first compilation Greatest Hits – Chapter One hits stores next week. “Catch My Breath” is the first single off the greatest hits album and a great way to celebrate the singer’s first ten years since winning the FOX singing show. Like the song, the clip is stripped down without too many frills- the perfect showcase for Kell’s powerful voice and girl-next-door looks. Being in love certainly suits the Texan native. Check out the music video below.

watch the music video after the jump

These days there’s a three-step process to releasing a single. First, leak the audio track days before it hits iTunes. Then follow that up with a lyric video before debuting the official music video. Kelly Clarkson just completed step two by uploading the lyric clip for “Catch My Breath” on her official VEVO account.

While some artists utilize cool graphics in their lyric videos to elevate their track to a new creative level, others just use it to slap on lyrics. That’s exactly what Clarkson did for “Catch My Breath“. BOO. I’m hoping the label is just saving their promotional budget for the actual music video. Here’s hoping. That said, it’s still interesting to watch, especially if you want to learn the lyrics.

“Catch My Breath” is already in iTunes’ Top 10 and will only rise with the release of this clip. Radio is falling in love with the track along with critics and fans. It should be another solid hit for the original American Idol winner. Greatest Hits – Chapter One featuring “Catch My Breath” along with new and classic tracks from the 30-year-old will hit stores on November 19.

check out the lyric video after the jump

Our little Kelly Clarkson is growing up. Not only did she turn 30 in April, but she also recently celebrated the 10th year anniversary of her American Idol win. To commemorate all her accomplishments, the singer is releasing her first greatest hits album titled, Greatest Hits — Chapter 1, due to hit stores on November 16. She debuted her new track on the Ryan Seacrest show earlier today. She truly is still “Miss Independent” after all these years.

“To celebrate the strength and longevity that my fans, friends, and family have supported me with I wrote this song ‘Catch my Breath’ with one of my best friends that has seen me through everything,” Kelly wrote on her website. “This song represents who I’ve been, what I’ve felt, and where I’m headed as not only an artist but as a 30 year old that is now smart enough to know that it’s time to stop, catch my breath, and be proud of not only what has been accomplished but of all the people that have helped me become the woman I am today.”

With her hectic touring schedule, I don’t know how Clarkson found the time to record a new track. Thankfully for us, she did and decided to relax and ‘catch her breath’. Written by Kelly along with longtime friend Jason Halbert and Eric Olson, “Catch My Breath” is classic Kelly Clarkson, but far less angry then most of her breakup anthems. Her smoky vocals are pure perfection on the lighthearted and airy track. Check it out below.

listen to track after the jump