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.

It received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom were complimentary of Carey's decision to collaborate with Miguel.

It received a double Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and is her thirteenth single which shipped over a million copies.

On April 18, 2013, Carey revealed that she had finished mixing the lead single from her upcoming fourteenth studio album.

[3] On April 21, 2013, sound mixer Fletcher Allison revealed that he had been on set of a music video directed by Joseph Kahn which involved Carey and Miguel; the tweet was later deleted.

[3] The deleted tweet read "Working on a Mariah Carey and Miguel video for the man Joseph Kahn ... Wouldn't trade this for 1,000 Coachellas".

[5] Over a guitar lick, the video revealed that Miguel would appear as a featured artist and that the song would be called "#Beautiful", accompanied by a message which read "The new era begins".

It features Carey stroking her face with her eyes closed and Miguel peering back over his shoulder at her through Aviator sunglasses.

[12] He concluded his review of the artwork by saying that the bar is set low because of one of Carey's previous single, "Triumphant (Get 'Em)", failing to achieve commercial success, and that if "#Beautiful" was revealed to be a good song, he would forgive her.

[12] "#Beautiful" is a mid-tempo and stripped down pop, R&B and soul music song which lasts for a duration of three minutes and 22 seconds.

[1][8][2][13] Carey's "big vocals" combined with Miguel's "signature eclectic rock and roll sound" results in "#Beautiful" having an old school vibe to it reminiscent of the Stax Records/Motown Records era,[14] according to a reviewer for The Honesty Hour.

[15] The instrumental of the song begins with a "simple, twangy guitar lick"; Brian Mansfield for USA Today compared the opening to something that Steve Cropper may have created for American singer Carla Thomas "back in the day".

[1][2] The song opens with a verse performed by Miguel, which begins with the lyrics "Hop on the back of my bike, let the cool wind blow through your hair".

[14] Carey and Miguel embark on a motorbike cruise at sunset, as he sings about her beauty in the lyrics "let the moonlight kiss your skin".

[14] Carey responds with "I like when you run red lights, don't stop till you thrill me", which Randall Roberts for Los Angeles Times thought would alarm mothers and police officers.

[1] "#Beautiful" ends with a textured layering of both Carey's and Miguel's vocals which gradually fade as the song draws to a close.

[17] 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.

[20] Aisha Harris of Slate also said "#Beautiful" could be one of the hits of the summer, calling it "a breezy duet" that "is pure pop, and it sounds great."

[2] The video has a simple production and it lasts for 3 minutes and 22 seconds where Carey appears wearing a short yellow dress with a jump read shoe line done by the French designer Christian Louboutin.

Images are interspersed with scenes of Carey running her hands through the air while she and Miguel ride into the sunset.

[51] Malachi of The Honesty Hour commented on the work: "Carey felt all over herself for most of the video" and "Miguel seemed very soft in his biker gear, too.

[53] James Robertson of the British newspaper Daily Mirror commented that "the song could have been written about stuffed animals or how cement – Mariah Carey would have still found a way to make the music video sexy.

In an interview, Cannon stated: "She was in this nice, beautiful gown, heels on and everything, and was kind of on this platform and reached and slipped and fell on her whole side, It was pretty serious.

The medley included Carey's debut "Vision of Love", as well as other songs such as "Make it Happen", "We Belong Together", "My All", and "Hero".

Lisa Timmons of Idolator said he had a good authority from a credible source who attended the performance of Carey, who undoubtedly was live.

[61] A writer from People magazine said that "it was a vibration and yes, the vocal acrobatics of singer and current judge reality show was pre-recorded.

[62] Carey also opened the 2013 Good Morning America Summer Concert Series on May 24, 2013, where she performed "#Beautiful" as part of her set list along with number-one hits "Always Be My Baby" and "We Belong Together".

[5][15] Carey performed the song with Miguel on June 2, 2013, at Hot 97's Summer Jam XX festival.

[65] On July 13, 2013, Carey performed "#Beautiful" at the Major League Baseball All-Star Charity concert for Sandy Relief at Central Park in New York City.

Carey had to drop "We Belong Together" from the setlist due to painful breathing and fractured ribs, result of an accident a few days back.