When Alicia Keys sang with James Bay on his hit “Us”, the pair created one of the most iconic duets on The Voice! Bay opened the 13 million view performance with his honeyed croon, and then Keys made the song take flight with her soulful second verse. The young Englishman and the veteran New York City R&B star might not be the most obvious choice as collaborators, but their different styles coming together made for a delicious brew that was dripping with chemistry.
Bay has a whispery, husky tone, while Keys has a bold, rich voice, and when singing in duet, it’s like they were made for one another. The most replayed part of the duet comes when Bay and Keys start harmonizing together at the two-minute mark, and then the American star gets a show-stopping vocal feature. The pair then deliver a passionate harmony to close out the song, and what a magical moment that is. The Music Man has to say there’s something special about this performance that keeps fans coming back!
Bay and Keys’ “Us” duet is the second-most popular live performance on the English singer-songwriter’s channel. Fans were really loving hearing the two perform the hit live, and added comments such as “Alicia knows how to respect James and his song. This duet is to die for” and “I have watched this video a zillion times, and Keys makes it feel like church. One of the best collaborations out there!”
Bay’s most popular live performance to date is his 28 million view duet with none other than Lewis Capaldi on “Let It Go” and “Someone You Loved.” Hearing two such huge vocal talents go to town on a stripped-back arrangement like this is just heaven to listen to. Everyone in the audience that night definitely lucked out. The Music Man also has to say that Bay’s guitar tone here is simply gorgeous, and the lad sure knows how to pick a six-string.
Bay released “Us” on March 30, 2018, as the third single from his second studio album Electric Light. He co-wrote the song with Jonathan Green, and the pair shared production duties with Paul Epworth. The song did not make much of a dent on the charts, but became a sleeper hit, going Platinum in both the US and UK. On May 22, 2018, Bay reissued “Us” as a duet version with Alicia Keys. The following day, Bay and Keys performed the song live on The Voice.