Mariah Carey and Miguel light up Summer Jam.

Earlier today, the blogosphere bubbled with reports that Mariah Carey would join Miguel during his set at the 2013 Hot 97 Summer Jam show and to their fans’ glee, the news was true! However, the diva wasn’t the only surprise to hit the stage. J. Cole also rocked the crowd with a short yet enjoyable performance.

Miguel sang several of his songs, including “How Many Drinks?” and “Pussy is Mine”, and was joined J. Cole for a rendition of their latest collaboration, “Power Trip”. Unfortunately, their showing caused a lull that only picked up when Miguel belted out his monster hit “Adorn”.

Of course, the true highlight of the evening when Miguel introduced Carey, who strutted into the spotlight in her signature heels and mini shorts. What the diva didn’t bring with her, however, was her backtrack and she opted to sing their entire“#Beautiful” duet live.

That’s right, every note was belted and whistled without the aid of a backtrack, and Carey even added a few extra riffs to the arrangement to ensure that we knew she was singing live. Sounds too good to be true? Watch Miguel, Cole and Carey in action below:

Carey’s belting isn’t as smooth as it once was but it’s great to hear her singing her whistles again, especially given her recent rounds of lip-syncing. “#Beautiful” isn’t the most exciting song in a live setting – the bored look on the audience members’ faces confirmed that – and the only segment of the tune that grabs people’s attention is the climax of high notes. So, Carey used the right moment to remind the crowd of why she is still one of the best singers on the music scene today.

“Yas.”

Thoughts?