Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande teamed up for a stunning duet on “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me”. The two divas delivered plenty of firepower with a call-and-response vocal approach on the star power-stacked duet. Clarkson provided a strident pop vocal, while Grande sang a silky R&B counterpoint. After trading lines, the two stars sang together for the chorus, creating a big crescendo and clearly having a truckload of fun while they were doing it.

The song really shows how incredible both Clarkson and Grande are as singers and performers, with plenty of vocal gymnastics on display. The duet was recorded for Clarkson’s second Christmas album When Christmas Comes Around. You can see the divas tear the track up on Clarkson’s NBC special below, which has attracted 16 million views.

“Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” is a pop and big band tune written by Clarkson and Aben Eubanks, who is her longtime band member and frequent writing partner. Clarkson and Grande are really in their element for the song, and there’s a tonne of energy in the performance as the two singers bounce off each other.

Fans couldn’t get enough of the epic collab, adding comments such as “This level of talent is insane. Even better live than the recorded version” and “They look like they are having SO much fun and you can really hear it in their performance! Both have absolutely beautiful voices that compliment each other so well.” Clarkson and Grande also worked together on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where they sang a mashup of other artists’ songs such as Britney Spears, Cher and Celine Dion.

Clarkson has also performed “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” solo, as she did so live for The Voice finale last year. It’s become a bit of a holiday favourite for her, as she also sang the tune earlier this month at the Christmas in Rockefeller Center event.
The lyrics of “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” address a person who is hoping to find love this Christmas rather than looking for material gifts. The theme must have resonated with audiences, as the song peaked at 23 on the UK Singles chart and was certified Silver in the country, as well as becoming a minor hit in the US.

The album the song is cut from, When Christmas Comes Around, was quite a big success for Clarkson as well, as it reached number one on the US Top Holiday Albums upon its release in 2021.

While talking to iHeartRadio, Clarkson reflected on her choice of When Christmas Comes Around for the title, explaining that she wanted to explore how different people find themselves in different places emotionally when Christmas comes around. She elaborated by saying “Some of us are consumed with a new love, some of us reminded of loss, some filled with optimism for the coming new year, others elated for some much deserved time away from the chaos our work lives can sometimes bring us.”