n June 1, 2013, Beyoncé Knowles sang the song during The Sound of Change Live concert in London, as part of Chime for Change, an organization which supports total equality between women and men in all areas of life. Mark Sutherland of Rolling Stone magazine noted that Knowles belted out the song,[21] while Alice Vincent from The Daily Telegraph noted that the rendition of the song reflected the event's purpose.[22] Later, on July 20, 2013, Knowles performed the song during a stop in Detroit as part of her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. The performance followed the city's recent file for bankruptcy. As Knowles performed, the screen behind her displayed photos of Detroit's landmarks and icons including Aretha Franklin, Aaliyah, Eminem, Anita Baker, Bob Seger, Kid Rock, the White Stripes, Berry Gordy Jr., Joe Louis. The montage ended with the declaration "Nothing Stops Detroit!" and Knowles closed the performance by saying "I love you, Detroit".[23][24][25] A spokesperson for the singer described the performance as a "unique tribute to the history of an incredible city and a celebration of the strong spirit of its people".[24] A black-and-white video of the cover was uploaded on Knowles' official YouTube channel on July 30, 2013. It closes with a quote from Henry Ford: “Failure is simply the opportunity to start over, this time more intelligently."[25] A reporter for The Huffington Post reported that the singer's "heartfelt" cover of the song "touched" her fans and the people who loved Detroit.[26] Latifah Muhammad of the Black Entertainment Television wrote that Knowles' "powerful" rendition of the song came right on time.[27] An editor for Essence described Knowles' cover as a "moving tribute to Detroit".[28] Jordan Sargent of Spin wrote, "It all might come off as a bit heavy-handed if it wasn't for the fact that, well, Beyonce absolutely slays the cover."[29] Lauren Moraski from CBS News described the tribute to the city as "touching".[30]

In 2017, Greta Van Fleet released a cover of the song on their double EP From the Fires. Also, covered that year by Kimie for her 2017 album Proud as the Sun.

In 2019, Céline Dion performed the song as a part of a tribute to Aretha Franklin called "Aretha! A Grammy Celebration For The Queen of Soul". The tribute was broadcast by CBS in March 2019.

"A Change is Gonna Come" was featured in the 1992 Spike Lee-directed movie, Malcolm X, for the scene near the end in which Malcolm X (played by Denzel Washington) is driving to the ballroom where he is about to be assassinated.[31]

In June 2020 a version of the song was recorded by Laurie Wright & Chris Faice with 100% of proceeds going to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

Jennifer Hudson performed the song on the third night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

In the 2020 film One Night in Miami..., Leslie Odom Jr., portraying Cooke, sings the song in the movie's reenactment of Cooke's appearance on "The Tonight Show" in 1964.