For anyone wondering why Mariah Carey and Miguel decided to tack a hashtag onto the title of their breezy summer single, well Miguel has a very simple, if naughty, explanation.
“The hashtag in the title of this song is particularly fitting because the word that comes before ‘beautiful’ when I sing the chorus is an expletive that I can’t say on air,” he told MTV News, referring to the F-word he slyly delivers on the song’s hook. “But the hashtag is particularly fitting for that expletive, if you just kind of pay a little bit of attention.”
“#Beautiful” is the lead single off Carey’s forthcoming studio album, but what caught some fans’ attention initially is that the tune doesn’t kick off with Mariah’s signature vocals but rather Miguel’s verse. But the R&B crooner said there was no controversy. He chalked it up to the superstar diva’s musical vision.
“She has so much foresight and she was all about the sound and it being different and standing out,” Miguel explained. “And I think that she’s always been that way — she’s always created music that’s stood out.”
The title of the track also perfectly encapsulates the process of working with the legendary vocalist, Miguel said. “She’s incredible,” he gushed. “She’s not only a beautiful spirit, inside and out, she’s just really talented. I couldn’t even fathom how creative she really is and how fast her mind works. … The fact that she had so much vision — enough to want to do the record as it was — and include me is a huge blessing and I appreciate it. She really is beautiful, absolutely, the title was fitting.”
Recording the track with Carey gave the “Adorn” singer a chance to live out a lifelong fantasy too. He gets up close, cuddling with his childhood crush in the Joseph Kahn-directed music video.
“You know what? It didn’t really sink in until after we were done and then seeing the footage and seeing the video, I was like, ‘Dude, you’re in a video with Mariah Carey!’ I’ll never forget watching her come out the water in the ‘Honey’ video,” he admitted. “You just never forget it when you have a crush on a woman when you’re younger. You don’t forget that, and so the fact that she’s on the back of a motorcycle and I’m on the front of it is kind of surreal. It’s just special, man. Moments, it’s definitely moments.”
Speaking of moments and hashtags, Carey could have created a trending topic of her own when she stopped by “Good Morning America” on Friday (May 24), with Miguel in tow. While performing as part of the show’s summer concert series, her dress accidentally came undone. “Oh, sh–, now the back of my dress just popped,” she said after the wardrobe malfunction, letting a profanity slip out. “I love you, Donatella [Versace], but it popped darling … what should we call this? The Central Park saga?” she joked.
No Comments