Singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson is teaming up with Christian artist Amy Grant, but not for the reason you might expect.
The two singers are lending their voices to the audiobook of “Caretaker,” a thriller written by Clarkson’s longtime music director Jason Halbert and his wife, Rhonda.
In addition to being part of the cast of characters, Grant also wrote a song specially for “Caretaker” called “Home (Lyana’s Song).”
Both Amy Grant and the Halberts appeared on the May 7 episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” to talk about the collaboration.
And it turns out while Jason Halbert has collaborated with Clarkson for more than two decades as her music director and won a Grammy for his contributions to her album “Stronger,” an Amy Grant connection brought them together.
In a clip from the show on its Instagram page, Kelly and Jason reminisce about Kelly “stealing” Jason from fellow “American Idol” Justin Guarini when she was looking for someone to help her with an arrangement of Amy Grant’s hit, “Grown Up Christmas List.”
‘Caretaker’ Audio Book Billed As an Immersive Experience
Musicians from “The Kelly Clarkson Show” recorded “Home (Lyana’s Song)” alongside Amy Grant at Blackbird Studios in Nashville.
And Jason told Kelly that the whole audiobook project was very different than the work he’s been doing with her for two decades.
“We’ve worked on hundreds of songs together. Doing a 3.5-minute single for you versus 5.5 hours of audio, I had no idea how much work it was going to be, but it has been a labor of passion,” Halbert said on the show. “We have had so much fun doing it, but it’s completely different.”
“The most nervous he has probably ever seen me in the studio is when I did my part,” Clarkson said.
Amy Grant Takes On Lead Role in “Caretaker” Audio Book
“Caretaker” tells the story of Ian and Lyana Keane, who leave Boston and move with their two kids—Ariel (15) and Zach (12)—to the sleepy New Hampshire town of Littleton.
They buy an old house with a rich history, and a lot of mystery- as strange things begin to happen inside its walls.
Amy Grant takes on the role of Lyana Keane in the audio book. And her song “Home (Lyana’s Song)” is written from the perspective of her character.
Amy performed the song on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
“This song came straight from the heart of Lyana,” said Amy Grant. “It was an honor to help bring her story to life, both through voice and song. ‘Home’ is about that place beyond grief, where memory, love, and eternity meet.”
Producer Jason Halbert adds, “There was something deeply personal about crafting this song with Amy. It grew naturally from the world we created in ‘Caretaker,’ and we knew it had to be more than a soundtrack—it had to reflect the emotional journey at the heart of the story.”
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Kelly Clarkson & Amy Grant Team Up for Unexpected Reason