Pentatonix teams up with Kelly Clarkson and Sheila E. to cover Steve Winwood's 'Higher Love'

Kicking off this year's socially distanced Billboard Music Awards, host Kelly Clarkson joined forces with a cappella group Pentatonix and legendary drummer Sheila E. to perform an incredible cover of Steve Winwood's 'Higher Love.'

Taking to the stage at an empty Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the musicians were also joined virtually by a choir of female singers for the show-stopping performance.

Ahead of the show, Clarkson promised viewers that the awards ceremony would be an "escapism" for everyone.

"We're just honestly trying to give everybody something a little normal," she said.

"People are used to watching the Billboard Music Awards every year so we're trying to keep that coming for everybody and provide the escapism that we all desperately need."

"It's going to be a little different than what people are expecting but we're definitely going to be catering to the times a bit and we have a powerful message," she continued.

"We're not trying to make everybody cry or be more depressed about 2020. We've done that enough. It's more of like uniting people and connecting people and you know, music has a very healing power to it and the power to connect people and that's really what we're focusing on for the opening."

Originally set to take place in April, the 2020 Billboard Music Awards were rescheduled to October due to the coronavirus pandemic.