Cynthia Erivo Wows National Memorial Day Concert Crowd With Emotional Cover of 'When You Believe'

Cynthia Erivo gave an emotional and powerful rendition of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey's hit song "When You Believe" during the National Memorial Day Concert.

On Sunday, May 26, PBS broadcasted the 35th annual National Memorial Day Concert, which welcomed several performers, including Erivo, Bryan Cranston, Jena Malone, Patina Miller, BD Wong, Gary LeVox, Mary McCormack, Ruthie Ann Miles and Jamey Johnson.

Among the performances, Erivo's "When You Believe" swooned in people's hearts as she dedicated the track to the wounded, ill and injured veterans. She previously performed the track with Shoshana Bean during the Saturday Night Seder and with Ariana Grande at the Met Gala.

The Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner previously made headlines when she took the 2019 National Memorial Concert stage with her performance of "Requiem for a Solider."

The concert also featured Ruthie Ann Miles, Patina Miller and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Prior to the event, reports confirmed that the Salute to Services would welcome members from the U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants, Service Color Teams, Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Soldiers' Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the U.S. Army Chorus, the Armed Forces Color Guard and the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters.

The National Memorial Day Concert will be available as video on demand from May 26 to June 9.

Erivo previously attended the Los Angeles LGBT Center's annual gala, where she accepted the Rand Schrader Award.

"Beyond her artistic achievements, Cynthia is a steadfast advocate helping bring visibility to the intersection of black and queer identity," Jada Pinkett Smith said as she introduced Erivo to the crowd.

In her acceptance speech, the two-time Oscar nominee shared, "It is a privilege to be on this stage tonight because for so long I lived in deep admiration of anyone who could fully embody their true authentic self, wear their queerness like a feather boa and proudly state 'This is a beautiful part of who I am.'"

She added, "But now, the glass has shattered. There's no box in sight, and I have walked out into the wide open spaces, into the arms of you all, and it feels like home."

She ended her message by encouraging everyone to "keep rebelling" while being themselves.

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