Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson are joining forces to perform “Unchained Melody” live. Live Nation Concerts announced the collaboration this week, sharing a video of both artists talking about what the song means to them personally.
The pairing is hard not to love. Groban has spent more than two decades as one of the most recognized classical-pop crossover tenors working today. His voice is equally comfortable in a concert hall and on a Broadway stage. Hudson is an Oscar and Grammy winner with a vocal range that tends to stop a room cold. She won the Academy Award for her role in Dreamgirls in 2007. More recently, she played Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic Respect, earning strong reviews for the performance.
“Unchained Melody” is not a small choice. Al Hibbler first recorded it in 1955. Ten years later, the Righteous Brothers turned it into a sweeping, slow-build pop classic that sounded almost operatic. Their version became one of the most recognizable recordings ever made. The 1990 film Ghost gave it one more life. A fresh generation discovered the song through the film’s famous pottery scene. Hundreds of artists have taken a shot at it since. Most versions fade quickly. The few that stick around tend to do so for a reason: the singer brought something genuinely personal to the material. The song still turns up in film scores and major concert set lists. That kind of staying power is rare.
That’s part of what makes the duet format so compelling here. Groban’s voice is formal and classical in its training. Hudson’s is gospel-rooted and built on soul music. Those two approaches don’t obviously overlap. On a song this emotionally loaded, that contrast might be exactly what keeps it from feeling like just another cover.
Live Nation posted a clip on Instagram. Both artists opened up about the personal weight of performing this song together. The caption described them as “two powerhouse voices, one timeless song.”
Neither of them is a stranger to material that asks a lot. Groban earned a Tony nomination for Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway, and his recording catalog has long leaned into songs built for big emotional moments. Hudson placed seventh on American Idol in 2004. Then Dreamgirls changed the trajectory. Her Oscar win in 2007 moved her into a different category, and she’s since built a career across music and screen work. She currently hosts her own daytime talk show.
The announcement is tied to a ticketed live concert through Live Nation. No studio recording of the performance has been confirmed yet.
“Unchained Melody” asks a singer to commit fully and hold nothing back. With Groban and Hudson on it together, that won’t be the problem.
