Chad Gray, frontman of Mudvayne and Hellyeah, has released his version of ‘Beautiful’, the 2002 ballad by Christina Aguilera. The video, directed by Alex Bemis, premiered on October 27th. Gray keeps the restrained opening of the original before taking it into distorted guitars, heavy drums and screams.
“I know no one had me covering a pop song in 2026 on their bingo card, but here we are,” Gray wrote on social media. He explained why the song hits close to home: “‘Beautiful’ is a song about self-acceptance, finding your inner beauty and overcoming insecurity. I have struggled my entire life with all of those things.” He added, “As I have found sobriety and worked on myself, I have found even more of a connection with this song.”
Gray said he put his own spin on the track: “I changed the bridge, got the scream, big drums, and big guitars in there.” He also spoke about what drives his writing: “My songwriting has always been driven by my experiences and feelings, from dark to light, from helpless to hopeful.” In an interview with Revolver, he said he hopes “maybe some of the metal family can hear it and find their own self-love.”
The cover has the blessing of Linda Perry, who wrote and produced the original. “Chad Gray’s heavy version of ‘Beautiful’ is a must-listen,” said the former 4 Non Blondes singer. “It made me smile.” Perry has her own recent history with the song: earlier this year, she re-recorded it as the lead single from ‘Let It Die Here’, her new solo album.
‘Beautiful’ was the second single from ‘Stripped’, Aguilera’s fourth studio album, and came out on November 16th, 2002. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2004 and was embraced by the LGBTQ community as an anthem. Its video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, won a GLAAD Media Award.
The cover arrives in a year Gray has spent away from his bands. In March, Mudvayne announced they would stay off the road for all of 2026, after several years of touring since their 2021 reunion. Gray responded with ’30 Years of Madnesss’, his first solo tour, revisiting Mudvayne and Hellyeah songs with his own band. In August, he told Loudwire that Mudvayne had no firm plans for 2027 and said he was open to writing solo material if the shows went well.
His next stop is Australia’s Good Things Festival, December 4th through 6th in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In May 2027, he’ll play Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio.
