Justin Timberlake fans were in for a country surprise when they caught wind that Chris Stapleton would be making a little cameo at the pop star’s Nashville concert on Wednesday night (5/10).
Stapleton stepped out onto the stage to sing “Say Something” with Timberlake, which left the crowd roaring over the shock. Although Timberlake’s show is filled with a number of his latest tracks mixed in with some of the hottest bops in his career, the duet caused a fan frenzy with people in the crowd singing along to the acoustic guitar-centered song.
The two have played the song live on a number of other platforms, including after the Super Bowl for a special edition of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and at the BRIT Awards in London.
How the duet came into fruition, though, marks another interesting story. Although Stapleton and Timberlake have been friends for a couple years now, their collaboration proved rather spontaneous than a set plan, according to the country star.
“I really just went out to Los Angeles to write songs with him. It was a very fluid process with him, there’s a lot going on. That was one of those things where there wasn’t necessarily a plan. He was like ‘All right, you hop in there and take a verse,’ and I’m like, ‘You want me to do what?’ … It came out great. I had a blast with him, he’s a great creative force and one of those guys that if you get a chance to work with him, you should,” he explained previously to Billboard.
“Say Something” can be found on Timberlake’s latest album, Man of the Woods.
