Photo: NBC
Russell Dickerson took the stage with his infectious single — known for its viral choreography on TikTok — during a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Dickerson performed “Happen to Me,” which he wrote with Chase McGill, Jessie Jo Dillon and Chris LaCorte (with a nod to Cyndi Lauper’s timeless 80s hit, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”). He released the anthem and its high-energy music video earlier this year, and included it on his latest studio record, Famous Back Home. Since then, Dickerson released a revamped version with iconic pop trio, the Jonas Brothers.
“They hollered at me to come be a special guest on, you know, they do the special guest every night [on their tour], and I got to be one of those guests,” Dickerson said when Kelly Clarkson asked how the collaboration came to life. He joined Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas on stage to perform the collaboration for “a roaring crowd” in Detroit, Michigan. “And it was just a perfect timing of like, ‘should we do this?’”
Clarkson said, “I love it. It happened organically. (The Jonas Brothers are) so nice.”
“‘Happen To Me’ is all about dancing through heartbreak,” Dickerson previously said in a statement of the energetic single. “When we first started writing, I thought, ‘What’s a song that makes every girl want to get up and dance when it plays?’ So we kicked off the chorus with ‘Girls just want to have fun,’ and kept building from there.”
Dickerson included “Happen to Me” on Famous Back Home, 12-track record that also includes “Worth Your While,” “Bones,” “Love That I Love You” and more. It follows Dickerson’s self-titled record in 2022, Southern Symphony (2020) and Yours (2017). Dickerson is also known for “Love You Like I Used To,” “God Gave Me A Girl,” “Blue Tacoma,” “Home Sweet,” “Yours,” “Every Little Thing” and more.
“This album means so much to me,” Dickerson said when he released Famous Back Home in August. “I poured my heart into every song, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. In many ways, it’s a thank-you letter to the people who believed in me from the very beginning. I hope it serves as a reminder that no matter how far you go, the truest kind of ‘famous’ is found in those who’ve known you all along.”
Watch Dickerson perform “Happen to Me” on The Kelly Clarkson Show here: