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NBC Insider The Kelly Clarkson Show

Lea Michele Embodied Rachel Berry Belting Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License"

Lea Michele stopped by The Kelly Clarkson Show and sang Rodrigo's hit 2021 track. 

By Elizabeth Logan

Gleeks, you don't wanna miss this. Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Lea Michele revived her most famous role, Glee protagonist Rachel Berry, for a stunning performance of Olivia Rodrigo's ode to teenage heartbreak "Drivers License."

How to Watch

Check your local listings for The Kelly Clarkson Show.

"I picked this song because I’m on tour right now and I’m singing a lot of songs from Glee and from Broadway, but I do this section in my show: If Glee were on television right now, what would Rachel Berry be singing?" Michele explained after her performance. "The minute I heard 'Drivers License' I was like, 'That’s such a Rachel Berry song.'"

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The lyrics fit the character almost too well. If you somehow missed it, Glee was about a high school show choir. On the series, Rachel pined for quarterback Finn (the late Cory Monteith) who, at the start of the show, was dating cheerleader Quinn (Dianna Agron). So when the song talks about the object of the singer's desire being with "that blonde girl" who makes the singer "insecure," it's a perfect encapsulation of how Rachel felt during the show's first season.

Other songs Rachel Berry might sing these days? Probably a few numbers off Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department album and a deeply misunderstood rendition of a Chappell Roan hit, if we had to guess. Michele is on tour across the country now.

A split featuring Lea Michele and Olivia Rodrigo.

Go deeper into the music with Kelly Clarkson's Songs & Stories

This summer, singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson is spinning off her popular musician talk show interview segment Songs & Stories into a series of specials, chatting with Gloria EstefanJonas BrothersLizzo, and Teddy Swims about music as well as their personal lives, giving viewers a front-row pass to their unfiltered conversations. The four-episode special will also feature musical performances in an intimate, unplugged setting.

Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson will air weekly hour-long episodes on NBC over the course of four weeks: 

  • Tuesday, August 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
  • Tuesday, August 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
  • Tuesday, September 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
  • Tuesday, September 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT 

Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson is described as a “unique programming event that will showcase and take an introspective look at an array of incredibly talented musical artists.”

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