Adam Lambert Brings Cher To Tears With His Rendition Of ‘Believe’ At The Kennedy Center Honors
During the broadcast of the 41st annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on CBS on Wednesday evening, American Idol star Adam Lambert performed a slow and very moving rendition of Cher’s 1998 hit “Believe.” Lambert’s cover reportedly moved Cher, who was an honoree at the ceremony, to tears, according to E! News.
The original song is a pop tune, but Lambert turned it into a beautiful ballad with a piano and strings. Footage from the performance shows Lambert’s performance bringing smiles to the faces in the audience. Toward the end of the performance, the video cuts to Cher wiping away tears from her eyes before giving Lambert a standing ovation.
“Believe” was a record-breaking track for Cher, as she became the oldest woman, at 52-years-old, to have a No. 1 hit in the Hot 100 rock era. The single also marked her as the only female artist to have top 10 hits in every decade between the 1960s to the 2000s.
The 72-year-old singer-actress-activist took to Twitter on Thursday to share her thoughts on the touching cover.
“Tried 2 write Feelings About Adam Lambert Singing ‘Believe’ In Words, but Cant seem 2. When Your senses are Overwhelmed All Can you feel with your [heart emoji],” Cher wrote.
She also praised Cyndi Lauper, who honored Cher with an upbeat rock cover of the 1999 tune “If I Could Turn Back Time,” Billboard reported. Lauper and Lambert performed a duet of Cher’s 1965 single “I Got You Babe” as well.
“I Was Shocked AND Over The MOON When Cindi (Lauper) came out Rocking the house,” Cher continued in her tweet. “When Adam & Cindi Sang Together It=Heaven.”
Other performances to honor Cher included a country medley of her classics from Little Big Town and speeches presented by Amanda Seyfried and Whoopi Goldberg.
“She makes a lot of people feel like the world’s a safe place through her music and her advocacy and her insight,” Seyfried said of the singer.
Cher most recently returned to the big screen for Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again, in which she played Ruby Sheridan. The singer also released a new album, Dancing Queen, in September, and a stage musical about her life came to Broadway earlier this month, according to The Kennedy Center.
With over 50 years of experience under her belt, Cher currently holds an Academy Award, a Grammy, an Emmy, three Golden Globes, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and a People’s Choice Award.
Cher has supported several important causes through her Cher Charitable Foundation. She has voiced her support for American soldiers and veterans and has also helped to provide food, medical care, and education to orphans in Ukunda, Kenya.
Other honorees at the Kennedy Center ceremony were Reba McEntire, composer and pianist Philip Glass, and jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, as well as Hamilton co-creators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Alex Lacamoire.
