Niall Horan‘s “This Town” walked so Noah Kahan‘s “Stick Season” could run. That fact was made even more evident when the two stars linked up Monday for a surprise duet in Nashville.
Fans couldn’t help but scream with excitement when the former One Direction star took a break from his regularly scheduled show mid-concert at the Bridgestone Arena to welcome Kahan to the stage. “Since we’re in Nashville, there’s some good songwriters around the place,” Horan said as the Vermont native stepped out.
The pair went on to perform the Irish pop star’s 2016 hit for the crowd, both of them sitting on stools and playing guitar. “If the whole world was watching, I’d still dance with you,” they sang in delicate harmony. “Drive highways and byways to be there with you/ Over and over, the only truth/ Everything comes back to you.”
“This Town” was the lead single from Horan’s debut solo album Flicker. It peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017, a full seven years before Kahan’s “Stick Season” — another folksy track about one’s town serving as a constant reminder of heartbreak — would reach the chart’s top 10.
After the show, Kahan tweeted that Horan is “King.” He also added, “I’m so inspired by the show I just saw.”
Both the “Slow Hands” singer and Kahan are currently on tour; in fact, the “Dial Drunk” musician performed at the Bridgestone Arena just nine days before Horan stopped by. The ex-boy-bander will next make stops in North Carolina, Virgina and Pennsylvania, while Kahan is slated to perform in Missouri, Kansas and Minnesota this week.
Watch clips from the two stars’ performance and see Kahan’s tweets below.
