If we were famous musicians, we would have it written into our contracts that Kelly Clarkson were legally barred from ever performing a cover of any of our songs, because she always does it better than the original.

A much loved tradition implemented on Kelly's recent tours is the fan-suggested cover song she performs at each show. It's a pretty straight forward concept -- fans request she cover certain songs by tweeting their suggestions to her, using a specific hashtag. She chooses one from a long list, performs the track and often gives a shoutout to the fan who made the request.

Last night (July 19), Kelly covered Rihanna's hit ballad "Stay," during the Pittsburgh stop on her Piece by Piece Tour. We would like to send our eternal thanks to the fan who requested this one, because it serves as proof that Kelly is one of the best vocalists around today, transcending genre. She delivers the vocals completely effortlessly, hitting each note with ease, putting a slight melodic spin on it, while still remaining true to the sad desperation in Rihanna's original.

For those of you who have been long-time dissenters of American Idol we offer you two things: First, congratulations, you won, it's over. Second, we hope you at least appreciate the fact that without American Idol, we may never have been graced with the undeniable talent that is Kelly Clarkson. That's a terrifying thought, isn't it?

Check out Kelly's cover of "Stay" in the video above.

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