Kelly Clarkson recently performed a rendition of Save Me so powerful that it brought the crowd and the original singer, Jelly Roll, to tears.As her fans know, “Kellyoke” is a staple segment of The Kelly Clarkson Show. The Grammy-winning songstress covers one of her favorite songs during each episode and gives them her own flair. As one would expect, she makes the songwriters and singers proud. But when she sang Save Me in early February, she earned some of her highest praise yet.Kelly belted the heartbreaking lyrics with a similar emotion to Jelly Roll’s 2020 recording. The audience was moved to silence as Kelly sang with tears welling in her eyes, and when she closed the final note, everyone erupted with cheers.

While Jelly Roll wasn’t there to experience the live performance, it wasn’t long before he caught a recording. After listening, he humbly shared how much it meant to have someone as legendary as Kelly Clarkson cover his work.

“I would’ve never believed you if you would’ve told me that I’d write a song so impactful that incredible Kelly Clarkson would deem it worthy to cover,” he wrote on Twitter. “Thank you Kelly—wow—I’m honored in a way I can’t even [describe]—I cried watching it.”

Jelly Roll also showed gratitude in the comment section of Kelly Clarkson’s Save Me YouTube video saying, “This may be the most honored I’ve ever felt. I love Kelly and her voice and soul and what she stands for so much. I’m honored she covered my song – I cried listening the first time.”

For Jelly Roll, the honor likely has a deeper meaning. While the 39-year-old has exploded in fame thanks to his songwriting talents and unique twist on country music, Save Me was a personal project. The lyrics, which he co-wrote with David Ray, came from his heart. Jelly Roll turned to music to overcome a troubled past. The song represents who he was during his darkest days.

The singer further detailed the meaning of Save Me in 2023, just after he re-recorded it as a duet with his close friend, Lainey Wilson.

“I want to explain something to y’all that I think is important. ‘Save Me’ was special, like, to me,” he said in 2023, per American Songwriter. “But I don’t fully grasp as an artist that sometimes songs mean so much to us. To some degree, we don’t really care what it does outside of that. It’s more about the actual art. This is my story. This is my most vulnerable, broken moment ever.”