Fans Wowed That Kelly Clarkson Didn't Lip-Sync

John Legend headed onto Twitter to defend the majority of artists—including himself—who've lip-synced their way through performances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, per PopSugar. It's technical, he wrote, explaining that the floats performers ride on "don't have the capacity to handle the sound requirements for a live performance." Which is why Kelly Clarkson's fans are genuflecting even more than they usually do after the 36-year-old brought a band and backup singers onto a makeshift stage and belted out live her song "Heat" Thursday morning, EW.com reports. Watch it here. Unlike Legend, Clarkson wasn't on a float, but it was still about 20 degrees when she sang.

"Actual queen," one admirer tweeted, while another noted: "YOU KILLED IT!!!! Love your voice and tenacity to bear the cold weather!! Your BR singers were awesome, too!" Even Macy's felt obliged to comment. "@kelly_clarkson, you never disappoint," the parade's host tweeted. Per BuzzFeed, Clarkson told parade organizers that she pulled out all the stops—even a horn section—for one simple reason: "I sing live." Billboard features some clips of her performance in the frosty weather. (Clarkson says she was once homeless before she hit it big on American Idol.)