Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah Make Doo-Wop From Scratch on ‘Fallon’

Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon joined with the Roots and an iPad app to cut an off-the-cuff version of the doo-wop single “Earth Angel,” originally recorded by the Penguins in 1954.

After figuring out how to use the app correctly — “You’re such a dad right now,” Clarkson quipped — Fallon sang the first vocal riff, and his iPad parroted it back to him. (The app did not have pitch correction, which might have helped in some moments.) The Roots’ drummer Questlove tapped out a light beat, then Queen Latifah and Clarkson each took turns adding a harmony line.

After marveling at the app’s ability to capture, stack and replay each of their voices, Fallon then added a bass vocal part. Queen Latifah was tasked with adding a series of interjections high on the scale, and then Clarkson mirrored those. Within three minutes, the trio had re-created the core of “Earth Angel.”

Clarkson also sat with Fallon to discuss her return to The Voice — her singer won last season — and the launch of her new talk show. “We’re going head-to-head at 11:30?” Fallon joked. “How dare you!”

Clarkson’s program will actually take place during the day, right before The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It’s “going to be a little different,” Clarkson said. “We sing every day on the show, do this fan request thing. On the pilot, I got people to sing with me and do these little skits. It’s very musical as well. It would be weird if it wasn’t. But if you don’t like music, you probably shouldn’t watch.”

Clarkson suggested she was well-suited to the task of helming a show. “I love talking, it’s like my favorite pastime,” she joked.

She’s finding one part of hosting challenging, though. “It’s hard for me to shut up,” Clarkson added. “You know, you have to listen to people who come on your show.”