Kelly Clarkson and Pink are looking forward to an extra special night at the American Music Awards.
When the show kicks off live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, the two powerhouse singers will take the stage to open the show, marking their first-ever performance together. ET caught up with Clarkson ahead of the big night, where she admitted she's just as ecstatic about the collaboration as her fans.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited," said Clarkson, who was promoting her latest partnership with Cracker Barrel's "Rocking and Stocking" content series. "I've never met her before."
"I think we met in passing, like, quickly on the Today show right after I won American Idol, like, 15 years ago [in 2002]," she continued. "But we didn't really talk. She was talking to Justin [Guarini] because they're both from Philly, and I guess went to the same school [Central Bucks]. So I didn't really get to talk to her then."
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Clarkson admitted she's always been a "huge fan" of the "What About Us" singer... and it's "not a secret." Even though she's never had a full conversation with Pink, she actually knows quite a lot about her.
"I think, honestly, at the end of the day, even though we're different artists, at the core, we both love great singers, we both love soulful music," she explained. "She's branched out just like me, in like the singer-songwriter kinda country stuff or rock 'n' roll. We both love a lot of the same things."
"I think, too, just the level of respect that comes with that, the admiration. Even though we are different, we do have a lot of similarities," she continued. "I've been really excited about doing this with her."
The 35-year-old singer continued on, telling ET that the thought of singing with Pink kind of brought her back to the days when she was growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, watching her favorite music icons join together on TV.
"When I was a kid, I remember anytime two big singers would get together that people were fans of... I remember, like, Mariah and Whitney Houston did it. I mean, not that we're Mariah and Whitney," she laughed, "but just for our generation, being two popular females with popular music."
Photo: Getty
"The sad thing is, a lot of times people pit us against each other," she continued. "And that happened right before our records came out. They're like, 'Who's going to top each other?' I was like like, 'Why can't we both just be successful?' It's just one of those things where, I feel like they don't do that to men. So, it's really cool that Pink and I get this opportunity to show people like, 'Hey! Everybody can be successful, there's plenty of talent to go around, plenty of love to go around.' We're all different, but at the same time, we all love music and that's why we're here."
Moments before our interview, Clarkson took to Twitter to express her excitement over the collaboration, which fans have been suggesting for years.
“Gonna play it super cool whilst singing with @Pink this Sunday at the #AMAs,” she wrote. “But know on the inside I will be freaking the &$@! out.”
Pink responded, echoing Clarkson's enthusiasm.
"You're joking!" she tweeted. "I am humbly prepared to be outsung:) I adore you and I cannot wait."
In addition to their opener, both artists will be taking the stage for solo performances on Sunday. Pink took to Instagram on Thursday to share a sneak peek at what's to come from hers, which you can watch in the video below:
The “Cracker Barrel Rocking and Stockings” content series features exclusive performances by Clarkson and Brett Eldredge on Cracker Barrel’s YouTube channel, running weekly now through Dec. 12. Eldredge’s albums, Brett Eldredge and Glow, as well as Clarkson’s Meaning of Life and both children’s books are available at Cracker Barrel locations nationwide and online at shop.crackerbarrel.com. Be sure to return to ETonline.com next Tuesday for more on the collaboration and Clarkson's holiday plans!