Michael Bublé and Christian Guardino put a “smile” on millions of viewer’s faces as they delivered a soaring duet during the Season 20 finale of American Idol.
On Sunday evening (May 22), the superstar and the Top 7 Idol finalist joined forces for a performance of “Smile,” a track co-written by Charlie Chaplin, Geoffrey Parsons and John Turner that appears on Bublé’s eleventh studio album, Higher. The song, which also appears on Bublé’s 2005 live album, Caught In The Act, was first recorded by Nat King Cole in 1954 and is based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film, Modern Times.
Bublé and the 21-year-old singer from Long Island, Guardino, delivered an out of this world, impressive performance of “Smile.”
“So excited to be back on the @americanidol stage for the finale alongside the incredible @michaelbuble for one last time!” Guardino shared ahead of his performance with Bublé.
The duet comes just two weeks after Bublé surprised Guardino during the May 8th episode of Idol. During the episode, Bublé extended an invitation to Guardino to sing a duet with him during the finale and Guardino, in shock, freaked out and enthusiastically shouted “Are you kidding me? Are you serious?” before accepting his offer.
Earlier this month, Guardino released his debut single, “Higher,” which was produced by DannyBoyStyles (Belly, The Weeknd, BANKS).
“As soon as I first heard the song ‘Higher’ I knew instantly that that was gonna be the song I chose. I fell in love with the melody, the lyrics, and everything about the song,” Guardino explained at the time of the song’s release.
The America’s Got Talent alum and New York native previously released “Waiting” in 2019, which is a collaboration with country singer Hunter Hayes.
The three-hour Season 20 finale of American Idol also featured performances from the Idol judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well as the Top 3 finalists Noah Thompson, HunterGirl, and Leah Marlene.
Additionally, superstars Carrie Underwood, Gabby Barrett, James Arthur, Sara Bareilles, Michael Bublé, Deana Carter, Earth, Wind & Fire, Melissa Etheridge, Flo Rida, Ben Platt, Thomas Rhett, Tai Verdes, and more also performed during the star-studded broadcast.
Several other contestants from Season 20 also returned to the Idol stage, including Mike Parker, Christian Guardino, Jay Copeland, Nicolina Bozzo, Fritz Hager, Emyrson Flora, and Lady K.
Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the American Idol finale aired live coast-to-coast on Sunday, May 22, at 8/7c on ABC. The finale also streamed live on ABC.com and the ABC app and will be available to watch via Hulu on Monday (May 23).
