Feb. 3 (UPI) — Ariana Grande and John Legend released their “Beauty and the Beast” duet Thursday.
The 23-year-old pop star and 38-year-old singer recorded a new version of the “Beauty and the Beast” theme song for Disney’s live-action film starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.
“bittersweet and strange,” Grande quoted the song’s lyrics with a rose emoji on Twitter.
bittersweet and strange
Emma Thompson will sing “Beauty and the Beast” as Mrs. Potts in the new movie. Angela Lansbury performed the song in Disney’s original 1991 animated film, with the track later recorded as a pop duet by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.
“Beauty and the Beast” was written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken. The song won an Oscar for Best Original Song and Grammys for Best Song Written for Visual Media and Best Pop Performance by a Duo.
“Stepping into the shoes of an Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning classic is not small potatoes,” producer Ron Fair said in January. But with today’s two greatest singers — John Legend and Ariana Grande — we are bringing the song back with a new school/old school fresh treatment that shows the soulfulness and power of what a great melody and lyric can inspire.”
The new “Beauty and the Beast” stars Watson and Stevens as Belle and the Beast, and released a final trailer this week. The movie co-stars Luke Evans and Kevin Kline, and opens in theaters Mar. 17.
