THE DROP
Chad Gray, the voice of Mudvayne and Hellyeah, has released a video for his solo cover of Christina Aguilera’s 2002 Linda Perry-penned hit “Beautiful” *, ‡. Perry herself gave it her blessing, saying “It made me smile. His passionate and fearless vocals get a thumbs up from this listener.” §
WHAT TO KNOW
– Gray rewrote the bridge and added a scream, heavier drums and bigger guitars *, §.
– The track opens quietly and builds into a heavy arrangement using both his cleans and his screams *.
– Alex Bemis directed the video, which premiered via Revolver on October 27, 2026 §, †.
– Gray ties the song to his own insecurity and his sobriety: “I have struggled my entire life with all of those things.” *
– Not his first solo cover: he put out “Always on My Mind” in 2021, produced by Kevin Churko for his wedding ‡.
THE TAKE
Gray knows how this looks, joking that nobody had him covering a pop song on their 2026 bingo card *. The soft-to-heavy build is a well-worn trick, but a guy who screamed his way through “Dig” singing about self-acceptance in sobriety is a context shift that earns a listen. The songwriter approving it matters more than any metal purist’s complaint.