Watch Kelly Clarkson Slay a Cover of ‘Shallow’

No one will ever top the version of “Shallow” that Lady Gaga delivers in A Star is Born, but Kelly Clarkson came pretty damn close. During a Friday concert in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the American Idol winner performed a powerhouse cover of the Grammy-winning hit, and shared some glowing words of praise for her counterpart.

“I love artists. I know there’s a lot of competition always with artists in the industry, but there’s a lot of us that just dig each other and really get inspired by each other and what they’re doing,” she said before launching into the ballad. “And this chick is amazing. We’re really different, but at the same time, we’re really similar in the fact that she just loves music, and that’s why she’s doing what she’s doing.”

Clarkson also recalled a letter Gaga wrote to her after the duo performed together. “She was the nicest human being ever. Her name is Lady Gaga,” she said. “It’s so cool to know that someone that talented is so nice.”

While the original version also features Bradley Cooper, Clarkson was solo, and bravely tackled both Cooper and Gaga’s verses with aplomb. “I thought she and Bradley Cooper did such an awesome job with this song, it’s called ‘Shallow.’ So we’re gonna do our version of it, because obviously I don’t have a Bradley Cooper here, so I’m just holding it down,” she said. “I hope I don’t suck, and if I do, I hope she doesn’t see it!”

Obviously, Clarkson’s version was superb, which sets the bar pretty high for Cooper and Gaga’s scheduled performance of the Oscar-nominated song at next week’s Oscars. But if this performance is any indication, they’ll be just fine.

Watch Kelly Clarkson belt out the second best version of “Shallow” that we’ve ever heard, below.

Related: The Oscars Won’t Be Having Performances From All of the Best Original Song Nominees