“American Idol” alum will premiere the theme song for Paramount Network upcoming drama series on CMT Music Awards on Wednesday
Kelly Clarkson will perform her cover of “American Woman” at the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night, but you can watch the music video and hear the full song ahead of her performance, above.
The “American Idol” alum’s cover of The Guess Who’s 1969 classic will serve as the theme song for the Paramount Network’s upcoming series “American Woman.” Loosely inspired by the upbringing of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Kyle Richards, the show stars Alicia Silverstone as an unconventional mother struggling to raise her two daughters after leaving her husband. Accompanied by her best friends, played by Mena Suvari and Jennifer Bartels, she strikes out on her own in 1970s Los Angeles.
The music video utilizes footage from the series.
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Clarkson’s version of the song is a barnburner, with her powerhouse vocal performance turning the gender-flipped lyrics into an anthem for female empowerment.
“There are all these things that we love and we felt we wanted to represent ‘American Woman’ and the whole lyric of it,” Clarkson said in a behind-the-scenes clip of the recording process. “The strength and the boldness and the powerfulness I feel like American women exude.”
“When we started building the marketing campaign for the show, we were instantly drawn to the iconic song that’s the namesake for the series,” Laura Kane, Paramount Network creative director, told TheWrap. “We saw an opportunity to connect the 70s, which in many ways was the second-wave of feminism, with the female empowerment movement of today by reclaiming the song with a strong and powerful female voice. Kelly Clarkson was our first choice and we couldn’t be prouder.”
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Clarkson will take the stage at the CMT Music Awards on Paramount’s sister network on Wednesday, performing the song live for the first time, which CMT music and talent exec Leslie Fram says aims to “send an empowering message” to a male-dominated industry.
“American Woman” premieres Thursday at 10/9c on Paramount Network.
