Alicia Keys joins James Bay for surprise performance of 'Us' on The Voice finale
On Tuesday night (May 22) in Los Angeles, James Bay walked on stage during the season finale of NBC’s The Voice to perform his latest single 'Us.' But there was more to the performance. Pleasantly surprising audiences worldwide, show judge and legendary singer Alicia Keys joined him for a jaw-dropping gospel style duet of the song, with Bay on electric guitar and Keys on piano.
Together, they brought the house down with a performance that's sure to be the next big thing in the world of pop, not to mention one of the season’s most talked-about moments.
On Wednesday, Bay released the revamped single to streaming services via Virgin EMI. You can download the track here or listen to it below via Spotify. This revamped version of 'Us' follows its original studio counterpart, which was released on Bay’s second studio album 'Electric Light' last Friday.
As 'Electric Light' heads towards a massive worldwide debut following its recent release, Bay is in the UK this week. He will perform a very special Radio 1 Live Lounge from Swansea later on Thursday, and a tiny, exclusive fan show at London’s Omeara on Friday night, before a performance at Radio 1’s Biggest Weekend this Sunday (May 27). His sold-out UK tour then kicks off next week, with a London Roundhouse show on Tuesday, May 29. Meanwhile, in the US, in addition to The Voice, he has also lit up stages at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and more.
Recently, Bay has been anointed by music industry legends as he was asked by The Rolling Stones to directly open for them for their stadium show on June 19 at London’s Twickenham Stadium. In addition, Bay will be featured on blues legend Buddy Guy’s upcoming album 'The Blues Is Alive And Well' on the new song 'Blue No More.' He will be featuring alongside other legends including Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
Composed in East London’s Baltic Studios, Bay co-wrote and co-produced Electric Light with longtime friend and collaborator Jon Green and brought onboard Paul Epworth (Adele, Florence + The Machine) to add final production elements to the record.
The album was previewed with lead single 'Wild Love' (its official music video co-stars Natalia Dyer of Stranger Things) and 'Pink Lemonade', which was also accompanied by an intergalactic music video with a heartwarming twist. In addition, his anthem of unity 'Us' has touched hearts across the country and its beautiful video has already reached over 15 million views.