“I just sang with Reba McEntire,” is what 20-year-old Kelly Clarkson said when she sang with her hero, right after her historic first season win of American Idol. As part of her prize, Kelly was offered the chance to sing with her idol. She picked Reba, and the Queen of Country came through for her biggest fan with a duet on her hit “Does He Love You.” Fans noted that the true test wasn’t winning American Idol; it was holding down the fort when singing next to a legend of the genre like Reba.

We has to say that Kelly stepped up to the plate big time! Reba opened the heartbreak anthem with her verse, and hoo boy, what a voice! There’s a reason why Reba has been on top of country music for 40 years and counting! Kelly then shone with her part, putting an R&B sensibility into her vocals that showed she wasn’t afraid to put her stamp on the classic ballad. And when they began to harmonize in the main hook, it was just mesmerizing.

Fan channel Bryan Bayliss uploaded the Reba and Kelly duet to YouTube, where it hit 11.4 million views. Viewers agreed it was an unforgettable performance, and added comments such as “Two of the greatest voices in the music industry” and “This was the moment where Kelly truly proved herself. Holding her own… singing note for note with a powerhouse like Reba. Amazing performance! Goosebumps!”

Reba and Kelly’s duet on “Does He Love You” was so iconic, they just had to reprise it five years later. The pair hit the stage again at CMT Crossroads in 2007. This hi-fi performance captures the details of their gorgeous voices so well. Reba and Kelly are really the perfect pairing. This is because Reba delivers that twangy, reedier tone that cuts through so brightly while Kelly’s rounder, soulful tone carries the lower range so satisfyingly. The emotion both singers bring to the lyrics is really something, too.

Reba and Kelly first sang “Does He Love You” together on September 23, 2002, for an American Idol episode in Las Vegas. Readers might not be surprised to hear that Kelly, fresh from winning the season, made no secret of how much of a fan she was of Reba. Kelly told the crowd: “[Reba is] one of my inspirations from when I was a little girl. I have every record of her – I believe there’s like 30.” She then introduced Reba as “My American idol.”