Watch Mavis Staples & Kevin Morby Connect With Nathaniel Rateliff For Breathtaking ‘Beautiful Strangers’ Performance

Mavis Staples put her own spin on Kevin Morby's “Beautiful Strangers” for her 2025 studio album Sad and Beautiful World. Video of Staples and Morby performing the song live with Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats has been posted on YouTube today.

Staples’ version of “Beautiful Strangers” is nominated in the Best American Roots Performance category at the 2026 Grammys this Sunday, February 1. Additionally, fellow Sad and Beautiful World track “Godspeed” is up for the Best Americana Performance award.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats hosted their 20th Anniversary Holiday Shows on December 10 and 11, 2025 at Denver’s Mission Ballroom. Mavis Staples and Kevin Morby were among the band’s guests at both concerts. The new video captures the “Beautiful Strangers” collaboration from one of the nights.

“It isn’t easy to put into words what it feels like having one of the best, most important vocalists and cultural figures of both the 20th and 21st century sing one of my songs,” Morby exclaimed when Staples announced Sad and Beautiful World.

“But hearing Mavis sing ‘Beautiful Strangers’ is hands down the greatest moment and highest honor of my career. Far beyond any kind of accolade or acclaim — having one of my biggest heroes sing something I wrote is the most validating and flattering thing that could ever happen to me as a songwriter and person. Thank you, Mavis. Mavis also wields that extremely rare power to take a song somebody else wrote and make it entirely her own. As the person who penned ‘Beautiful Strangers’ I feel I have every right to say; her version is better.”

Watch Mavis Staples and Kevin Morby lead Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats through “Beautiful Strangers” below: