Kelly Clarkson may “hate love,” but we’re loving Steve Martin’s surprising talent!
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The singer-songwriter just dropped a new single ahead of her 10th studio album, Chemistry. Titled “I Hate Love,” the song references classic romance movies like The Notebook and It’s Complicated. However, name-dropping comedian Steve Martin in the lyrics gave the American Idol winner a unique collaboration idea.
Clarkson was a big fan of Steve Martin’s livestream videos in the early days of lockdown, in which he played banjo songs to cheer up his fans. She decided that featuring the actor as a musician on her single would add a special touch.
“I generally don’t ask because I get very nervous about bothering people,” Clarkson said, according to Billboard. “But literally, within hours, I got an answer: ‘Oh my God, he’d love to, when are you recording it?'”
Clarkson Has “Chemistry” with Steve Martin on New Track
Jesse Shatkin, Clark’s producer, found out that Martin takes his banjo playing seriously when he showed up to record the comedian at his house.
“We ultimately went in to do something that could have taken 15 minutes, and we spent a couple hours just kind of jamming on the song,” said Shatkin. “He was really, really amazing at banjo but also really, really cared about getting it right.”
Martin’s recording is featured prominently throughout the verses of the song. Clarkson describes the final product as “a pop-punk song with this really rock’n’roll banjo part.” She announced the release of “I Hate Love” on Instagram, crediting his contribution.
“The amazing banjo skills you hear are brought to you by the incredibly gifted @stevemartinreally,” she wrote in her caption.
Despite collaborating with the Only Murders in the Building actor creatively, Kelly Clarkson still hasn’t met him in person. However, she’s hoping to feature him as a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
“My ideal moment is him coming on my show and then us performing it — but I’ll take just him coming on my show so we can talk and hang out so I can, like, meet him,” she said.
Check out their collaboration in “I Hate Love” in the video below!
