As accurately introduced by Ryan Seacrest on last night’s American Idol, “the first, the original” Kelly Clarkson returned to the show where it all started to perform “People Like Us,” her new single from Greatest Hits – Chapter 1, released last November.

Not sure day-glo was the best look for Kelly, though it was better than whatever this was from recent days, and a thousand times better than the jeans-as-top look that she wore to her original Idol audition. (Kelly’s return also meant a reappearance from one-time Idol co-host, Brian Dunkleman.)

While her performance was superb as usual, the best part came afterward when Kelly met one of her idols, Mariah Carey, who left her seat at the judging table to come up on stage. Remarking on how much she enjoyed “People Like Us,” Mariah told Kelly, “Dahling, I need your opinion on some new stuff.” Amazing.

Mariah might have to wait a while though, as Kelly’s pretty busy these days. In addition to prepping for her wedding and a tour with Maroon 5, Kelly’s working on a Christmas album (she says it will probably be her favorite she’s ever done) and another album due early next year.

If you’ve got 30 minutes you can hear more about what Kelly’s got going on by watching this fan Q&A (featuring the aforementioned tragic styling). She does address the possibility of a From Justin To Kelly sequel:

Purchase Kelly Clarkson – “People Like Us” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.