Kate Hudson took to the Grand Ole Opry stage to belt out the holiday classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” during the Christmas at the Opry special, and the audience went wild. The special, hosted by Little Big Town, aired tonight, December 16, on NBC.

Wearing a sparkly champagne-colored dress and poised in front of a snowy backdrop, Hudson took a new approach to the iconic song. She sang it a little bit jazzy and bluesy, using elaborate runs and belting to rival Kelly Clarkson. In a clip on Instagram, fans gathered in the comments to shower Hudson in praise for her vocals and overall performance.

Some fans expressed shock that Kate Hudson waited so long to start her music career, as she was primarily an actress before 2023. “I don’t know why she waited so long, but better late than never! She’s got a wonderful voice,” one person commented. Another wrote, “I was surprised how great she was for an amateur when I listened to her on Howard Stern show probably a year ago.”

Brad Paisley’s wife, Kimberly, also commented on the clip, writing, “Woah!! Awesome!” Actress Brenda Song commented that she had “chills,” and model Christie Brinkley wrote, “Well that just made the seasons bright.”

Kate Hudson Makes Spirits Bright With Rendition of Holiday Classic During Christmas at the Opry

Kate Hudson also took the stage with Kelsea Ballerini, Karen Fairchild, and Kimberly Schlapman to perform “Santa Baby.” The four stars dressed up in Santa-inspired dresses, looking like they were emulating the talent show scene from Mean Girls. While they didn’t perform “Jingle Bell Rock,” they still absolutely crushed their rendition of the holiday classic made famous by Eartha Kitt.

Other performers include Josh Groban who collaborated with Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini performing solo, Dan + Shay singing from their new Christmas album, as well as Kirk Franklin, Sheryl Crow, and Orville Peck. Little Big Town also performed from their first-ever holiday album, The Christmas Record, which they released in October.

While Christmas at the Opry isn’t live, there’s still plenty of holiday cheer to go around. It was filmed in October, but the season was still in full swing. Catch Christmas at the Opry on NBC and the next day on Peacock.