Kelly Clarkson + Terri Clark's Wild Exchange That Became a Duet

Of the eight collaborators on Terri Clark's new album, Kelly Clarkson is most surprising. It turns out the '90s and '00s hitmaker was pretty shocked about it, too, and maybe a little confused.

Clark's Take Two album dropped Friday (May 31) and features remakes of hits like "Better Things to Do," "Girls Lie Too" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me."
Ashley McBryde, Cody Johnson and Lainey Wilson also join her on the new record.
She talked to Taste of Country Nights' Evan Paul about the album and memories of her contemporaries.

Clark actually did want to approach Clarkson about recording with her, but hadn't moved on it yet when she got a very strange text message.

"I don't ever remember exchanging numbers with her," she begins after explaining how they'd met a decade ago. "It said, 'Do you think we should stop here before we go to the airport?' I was like, 'Who is this?'"

Clarkson thought she was texting Trisha Yearwood, but didn't let on that she was the Kelly Clarkson. Fearing the same thing — that someone got ahold of their phone numbers — Clark didn't want to let on that she was the Terri Clark.

Terry Wyatt, Getty Images

"Meanwhile, she's dropping hints that she's Kelly Clarkson ... she's sending me photos of her bedding line," Clark recalls, now cracking up at the memory.

Finally, Clarkson brought up a radio show that involved Patty Loveless and Clark figured it, out but didn't full send the conversation.

Instead, she brought Reba McEntire into the conversation to get confirmation that the number she was texting was indeed Kelly Clarkson's number (remember, Reba's ex-husband's son Brandon Blackstock was married to Clarkson while she was married to Narvel Blackstock).

"So I'm texting Reba about Kelly Clarkson, texting me about impersonating Patty Loveless," she tells Evan Paul. If we had more time, we'd create a flow chart. "And so, I go, 'While I have you ...'" Clark continues.

If there was a "While I Have You" Hall of Fame, we'd submit this entry.

The song they recorded together is "If I Were You," Clark's Top 10 single from 1996. It's an absolute highlight on this new album, although Johnson's performance on "I Just Wanna Be Mad" is must-listen material and Wilson is a delightful addition to "Poor Poor Pitiful Me."

"It seemed like it was meant to be," Clark adds. "She loves '90s country women especially."

Expect the full unedited conversation on an upcoming episode of the Taste of Country Nights, On Demand podcast. That's available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you podcast.

Before you leave, consider the single-question poll below. Your feedback will help us decide what's most valuable to you and readers like you, now and in the future.