&Beautiful& is a mid-tempo and stripped down R&B, soul and pop track, which garnered critical acclaim from critics, many of whom were complimentary of Carey's decision to collaborate with Miguel. After garnering an audience impression of 31 million in its first two days of radio airplay, the song debuted at number 44 on the US Radio Songs chart. Carey taped a performance of the song along with a medley of her greatest hits on May 15, 2013; the taping aired the following day on the Season 12 finale episode of American Idol.