Kelsea Ballerini Joins Bebe Rexha for Surprise ‘Meant to Be’ Performance in Nashville [WATCH]
Bebe Rexha took the stage in Nashville on Tuesday evening (Sept. 10) as opening act on the Jonas Brothers' 2019-2020 Happiness Begins Tour, and the singer had something special to share during her set. When it came time to perform "Meant to Be," her massive crossover hit with Florida Georgia Line, Rexha got a serious country boost when she invited Kelsea Ballerini to the Bridgestone Arena stage.
During the first verse and chorus of the song, Rexha kicked things off solo. Next, Ballerini took the stage, helming the second verse of "Meant to Be." The two artists then traded verses throughout the call-and-response song, coming together for an anthemic rendition of the chorus.
While the song has always been a duet, Tuesday evening's treatment -- as a duet between two women, not male and female voices -- provided a fresh spin on a ubiquitously popular mega-hit.
Originally released in 2017, "Meant to Be" quickly became a massive success for Rexha and FGL, spending a record-breaking number of weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The chart achievement was also a personal record for Rexha, which broke the previous longest-running No. 1 with leading female vocals after the song's 14th chart-topping week. (Beforehand, that record had been held Little Big Town's "Girl Crush" with 13 weeks at No. 1 in 2015.)
The performance came on the heels of a big week for Ballerini: The week prior, she released her new single "Homecoming Queen?," the first glimpse into her forthcoming third studio album.
Tuesday evening's Bridgestone show included a stacked lineup of surprise team-ups and collaborations. Following Rexha and Ballerini's surprise duet, the Jonas Brothers brought country superstar duo Dan + Shay onstage for a surprise performance of the latter group's "Tequila."
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