Mudvayne and Hellyeah vocalist Chad Gray is showing a little bit of a softer side with his newly released cover of “Beautiful,” the 2002 Christina Aguilera hit written by Linda Perry.
“The song ‘Beautiful’ is a song about self-acceptance, finding your inner beauty, and overcoming insecurity,” Gray said. “I have struggled my entire life with all of those things so when I heard it years ago, it spoke to me, I felt what (songwriter) Linda Perry was trying to say with the lyrics. As I have found sobriety and worked on myself, I have found even more of a connection with this song. My songwriting has has always been driven by my experiences and feelings, from dark to light from helpless to hopeful.
“Although I didn’t write ‘Beautiful,’ I am passionate about its meaning so I wanted to put my own spin on it. I know no one had me covering a pop song in 2026 on their bingo card, but here we are. I changed the bridge, got the scream, big drums, and big guitars in there. Maybe some of the metal family can hear it and find their own self-love because we are beautiful no matter what they say.”
Perry herself offered her endorsement of Gray’s version, saying, “Chad Gray’s heavy version of ‘Beautiful’ is a must-listen. It made me smile. His passionate and fearless vocals get a thumbs up from this listener.”
Gray just wrapped a successful headline tour, in which he performed songs across his expansive catalog over 29 dates, including appearances at Louder Than Life, Aftershock and Rockfest. He is set to appear at Good Things Festival in Australia in December, alongside Limp Bizkit, Spiritbox, Bilmuri and Ministry, and has booked the Welcome to Rockville and Sonic Temple festivals in 2027. All upcoming tour dates are here.
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