Jackson Dean’s smash-hit debut single took center stage on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Wednesday morning (October 19). Kelly Clarkson covered “Don’t Come Lookin” during the “Kellyoke” segment of her daytime talk show, treating the audience to some country flare as she sang:
“Got a head full of noise/ About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid/ I got a mind in the gutter/ Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other/ Got the windows down and my fingers crossed/ Just lookin' for a brand new way to get lost/ So long, four wheels turning/ Got a tank full of gas, down the road, I'm burning/ Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn’t/ If I don't come back, don't come lookin’”
Clarkson delivered a powerful performance of Dean’s song, and the country singer-songwriter praised her on Twitter: “Thanks for doin it justice [Kelly Clarkson].”
“I’ve been writing and living this song kind of my whole life—when I’d leave the house to go run through the woods, I’d tell my mom, ‘if I don’t come back, don’t come lookin’’ so to see people react to it this way means a lot,” Dean previously said in a statement shared by his record label. “I hope it ignites a feeling of escapism and freedom.”
The original American Idol champ has covered fan-favorite songs by artists spanning the genres, including some of the biggest artists and up-and-comers in country music. Some of her previous “Kellyoke” segments have included songs by Dolly Parton, Jo Dee Messina, Brooks & Dunn, Randy Travis and tons of other artists. Listen to her spin on Dean’s “Don’t Come Lookin” here: