"Beautiful" (stylized as "#Beautiful") is a song recorded by American singer-songwriters Mariah Carey and Miguel. It was released as the lead single from Carey's upcoming fourteenth studio album The Art of Letting Go (2013). The song was written and produced by Carey and Miguel, alongside Nathan Perez and Brooke Davis; Perez also aided in producing the song. Released on May 6, 2013, Carey and Miguel did not reveal that they had collaborated on the song, until April 25, 2013, when Carey revealed the title in a 25 second teaser video during season twelve of American Idol. It was also on Idol, on May 9, that Carey premiered the official music video for "Beautiful", before uploading an alternative edit to her VEVO account, that is set to the explicit version of the song.

"Beautiful" is a mid-tempo and stripped down R&B, soul and pop track, which garnered critical acclaim from critics, many of whom were complimentary of Carey's decision to collaborate with Miguel. After garnering an audience impression of 31 million in its first two days of radio airplay, the song debuted at number 44 on the US Radio Songs chart. Carey taped a performance of the song along with a medley of her greatest hits on May 15, 2013; the taping aired the following day on the Season 12 finale episode of American Idol.

'"Beautiful" has received critical acclaim from music critics. Randall Roberts for the Los Angeles Times wrote that when he read that another music critic Maura Johnston had declared "Beautiful" as 2013's "song of the summer" on the day its premiere, he was dismissive of the claim, and did not feel it was necessary to rush to listen to the song. He expressed "skepticism and dread" at the thought, as he felt that a song with a hashtag in the title, the song being called "Beautiful", which he feels is an over used word, Roberts branded the song as "Silly, trendy and typical" before listening to it. He further wrote that when he put his headphones into his computer, he was worried that Carey would sing the word "hashtag" in the lyrics, but after listening to the song in its entirety, he proclaimed it as a "perfect pop song". He was complimentary of the songs instrumental and production, and described it as "seductive". Roberts also wrote that although Carey does not enter the song until a third of the way through, she matches Miguel's "glorious tone with the confidence of someone who knows she can lift her verse to equal whatever comes her way" with a "glorious tone". A reviewer for Rap-Up wrote that "Beautiful"is perfect for the summer. Bill Lamb from About.com gave the song a very positive review, stating: "The warmth and intimacy of "Beautiful" will make you want to hear it again and again. This is the best Mariah Carey record in years, possibly since the days of The Emancipation of Mimi. Look for R&B hit status to be assured, and a run for Mariah Carey's nineteenth number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit is not out of the question. Meanwhile, settle in and listen to one of the best singles of the year. This recording is indeed #Beautiful".

Jenna Hally Rubenstein for MTV Buzzworthy wrote that the song features "Miguel's soothing R&B pipes and Mariah's 1991-sounding ethereal vocals" and continued to compliment the songs overall appeal. Brian Mansfield for USA Today felt that the Stax/Motown influence is what makes "Beautiful" "such a winner", as it represents Carey's return to form in an altogether unexpected way. Jessica Sagar of PopCrush awarded the song four stars out of a possible five, and she praised the "edgy" lyrics but "traditional" production, saying "'Beautiful’ is just that: Beautiful". Jordan Sargent for Spin praised the song, writing that "Beautiful" is what summer is made of. A reviewer for Idolator wrote that Carey takes advantage of Twitter and the appeal of it by including a hashtag in the song's title. Carrie Battan for Pitchfork Media was critical of the use of the hashtag in the song's title, but applauded it for featuring Miguel, and said that the song had "the finger-snapping R&B throwback charm that sounds primed for repeat play through the summer". At the 2013 Teen Choice Awards, "Beautiful" was nominated in the category of Best R&B Hip/Hip Song. (wiki)