Albums delayed. Concert tours postponed indefinitely. Arenas shuttered until possibly 2021. The music industry has been fundamentally changed forever due to the COVID-19 crisis but, luckily for us, Kelly Clarkson is here with a new empowering anthem (really, are we surprised?) daring us not to give up.
In her new song, “I Dare You,” the Grammy-winning artist challenges us to love even if we are “hurt” and “can only see the worst.” Clarkson admits she’s been working on the project for more than a year, long before Coronavirus changed our lives.
“Especially I feel like, we’re in a world where — I mean this song, ironically is very fitting right now — but before pandemic times, it’s no secret as a nation we’re super divided. As a world, we’re getting even more divided and it’s so funny ’cause we’re so technologically advanced. Like you think it would be the opposite, that we’d be more about connection but…I thought the song would be cool to do in that sense. And then all this happened,” she told Jimmy Fallon.
When it came time to record “I Dare You,” Clarkson didn’t just record one version of it. She recorded six. Yes, you read that correctly, six. The song is available in English and then as duets with various artists in French, Arabic, Spanish, German and Hebrew.
So is this song a jam like “Since U Been Gone” or “Stronger”? No. “I Dare You” is more important than that. It is a song of hope, courage and resilience at a time when our country so desperately needs this type of anthem. When you listen to the song, you feel hopeful and reassurance that we as people can overcome anything we set our minds to.
“I Dare You” is just another step in the evolution of Clarkson. This is no longer a hot new artist on the scene with pop bops, but an established diva who has earned her accolades time and time again.
In dark times like these, we need anything we can to make us feel joyful and the Texas native does just that. Her words, her songs, her unabashedly self-deprecating humor are a saving grace in this dark moment in our history.
So, yes, of course, Clarkson, in this time, would dare us to be… “Stronger”.
