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Earlier this week, the Music Mix expressed the opinion that Kelly Clarkson might have been over-reacting just a teensy bit when she alleged that co-writer/producer Ryan Tedder had ripped off his own work on Beyonce's "Halo" for her new single "Already Gone." Now Tedder has issued a statement in response to Clarkson's remarks, and guess what: He thinks she's off-base, too.

Tedder's statement reads in full (all spelling and punctuation left unchanged): "'Already Gone' is one of the best songs I've written or produced since 'Bleeding Love' and stands tall on it's own merits apart from 'Halo.' They are two entirely different songs conceptually, melodically, & lyrically and I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyonce into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful & absurd. I think when people hear 'Already Gone' they will hear what I hear — one of the greatest female vocalists on earth giving her most haunting and heart-breaking performance on a song she helped write. I challenge people to listen and form their own opinions."

Head back to our earlier post to listen to "Halo" and "Already Gone" back-to-back and form those opinions, then let us know: Whose side are you on here? Does Tedder have a point?

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