Jake Hoot — Season 17 champ of NBC's The Voice — is teaming up with his former coach, Kelly Clarkson, for his new song "I Would've Loved You."

The rising star wrote the song alongside Lonestar keyboardist Dean Sams and Jamie Floyd. Hoot says he knew instantly that Clarkson's powerhouse vocals would take his ballad's emotional message to soaring new heights.

""I Would've Loved You" is a song about ... the choices we make and the consequences that follow. It is a story about someone who has so much love to give, but due to the other person's decisions, that love turns into a hate that lasts forever," Hoot explains. "I am beyond thankful to Kelly Clarkson for believing in me and recording this song with me!"

It's not the first time Hoot's gotten the chance to duet with Clarkson: During his tenure on The Voice, she joined him for a performance of Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong" in the season's live finale. Hoot says he has always felt a reassuring vote of confidence from his coach, who helped him overcome his feelings of self-doubt as a performer.

"She has helped me get out of my shell onstage, and I say in every interview: You’re the biggest cheerleader and that means more than you know," he said in late 2019. “I really do appreciate it."

The duet comes from Hoot's new EP, Love Out of Time, out Wednesday (Jan. 27). He co-wrote each of the five tracks on the project, except for a fun-loving cover of "La Bamba," a song that he remembers singing with his sibling as a kid growing up in the Dominican Republic.

TheBoot logo
Enter your number to get our free mobile app

See The Voice Stars, Then + Now:

More From TheBoot