Carrie Underwood and John Legend performed their holiday duet "Hallelujah" during the Global Citizen Prize 2020, which aired Saturday night (December 19) on NBC.
Legend, who was hosting the annual event, was joined by Underwood for the final performance of the night. The song's powerful lyrics were perfectly fit for the theme of the organization, which works to bring hope, especially following a year of uncertainty and hardships.
"Ooh, let there be peace on earth / Let the lonely join together, let them know their worth / Ooh, let the children know / There's a brighter day ahead, let's hold on to hope / And on the coldest evening in this December / Let us pray the spirit of love will linger," the two sing.
"A dreamy winter backdrop ❄️ + The silky smooth vocal stylings of @carrieunderwood and @johnlegend 🎤 = A jaw dropping performance of ‘Hallelujah’ 🙏," Global Citizen wrote on Instagram.
"Want to know something cool? John and Carrie weren’t even in the same city when this was filmed!," the organization continued. "That’s the magic of green screens!"
Global Citizen honors those making extraordinary efforts to lift up the world’s most vulnerable, inspire others to stand up and take action, help end extreme poverty, and make the world a better place. The annual event also featured performances by Alessia Cara, Common, Gwen Stefani, JoJo, and Tori Kelly.
Watch Legend and Underwood's performance below!
"Hallelujah," an original song co-written by Legend with Toby Gad, is featured on Underwood's new Christmas album, My Gift. "This song and its message is much needed right now and I'm honored to have it on my Christmas album, My Gift," Underwood previously said of the track on her Instagram Story last week. "I hope you like it."
The chart-topping album contains a mix of original songs and covers of classics like "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night," and "O Holy Night." In addition to Legend, Underwood's five-year-old son Isaiah also appears on the project for a special rendition of "Little Drummer Boy."
In a recent interview with People, Underwood revealed how touching it was for her to hear Isaiah's part after the studio session. "I got to listen to his vocals [get] put together and then listening to myself with him," she explained. "I was laughing, and I was crying, and it was just very overwhelming in a good way. It's just very emotional."
Underwood's holiday special, My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood, premiered on HBO Max last week. The one-hour event features the country star performing traditional Christmas classics, along with some new tracks from her new Christmas album, My Gift.
"I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Playtone and HBO Max to bring My Gift to life," Underwood said in a previous statement. "Just like the album, I hope this special will help bring some much-needed joy and become part of the soundtrack to people’s holiday festivities this year as it streams throughout the season and beyond."
My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood is available for fans to stream on HBO Max now!
Photo: Getty Images