Photo: Getty Images
Chris Stapleton brought out a surprise guest during his performance at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday (May 16), none other than Dua Lipa.
The show had previously teased that the "Tennessee Whiskey" singer's performance would be on everybody's minds for days to come, but viewers didn't find out why until Dua Lipa started singing his track "Think I'm In Love With You." The British pop star seemed to fit right in with the country crowd, nailing Stapleton's grooving track with ease before he jumped in to continue the performance.
Dua's vocals paired perfectly with Stapleton's raspy tone and his wife Morgane's harmonies as they sang, "I wanna make your dreams come true/ I think I'm in love with you."
iHeartRadio's Bobby Bones caught up with unexpected duo backstage where they revealed the duet has been in the works for a while after the Radical Optimism singer reached out in the hopes of collaborating in some way. The pair seemed to hit it off, with Dua calling herself a "such a fan" while Stapleton praised her for being the "queen of feel-good music."
Not only did Stapleton wow the crowd with his performance, but he was also up for several awards during the night, scoring some hardware before the show even began when he was named the ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Year. He has also received nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. Check out the full list of nominees and winners.
Photo: Getty Images
Stapleton recently made his return as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live for the third time alongside Barbie star and host Ryan Gosling, whose opening monologue paid an homage to another beloved musician. Not only did Stapleton perform two songs throughout the night, but he also showed off his comedy chops in a sketch that featured Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman and Chloe Troast as a trio of country singers performing a song about getting revenge on an ex.
During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday (May 14), he opened up about doing "something silly" on the long-running sketch comedy show and how it "was the first time they ever kind of talked me into being in a skit."