The crowd erupted in shock as Blake Shelton, mid-performance, paused and casually teased, “I think we need someone special for this one.” Moments later, Kelly Clarkson strolled onto the stage, and the energy in the room shifted. As the two launched into their surprise duet of “Lonely Tonight,” their voices melted together, raw and electric, like a conversation too personal for anyone else to hear.

The History Behind Blake Shelton’s “Lonely Tonight” Duet

Blake Shelton released “Lonely Tonight” in 2014 as a duet with Ashley Monroe. The song reached the #1 spot on the Country Airplay chart and crossed over to claim the 47th slot on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It was also a #1 country song in Canada.

Shelton and Monroe later earned a Grammy nomination for their performance. They received a nod in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category.

As to be expected, Shelton and Monroe can’t always be together when Shelton performs the song live. So he’s had some other artists join him on the song in the past, such as Lauren Alaina and Carly Pearce.

More recently, Shelton sang “Lonely Tonight” with his Season 23 Voice finalist Grace West. The performance was extra special, because it was Shelton’s last time ever singing on The Voice as a coach.

Blake Shelton & Kelly Clarkson Sing “Lonely Tonight” For Crowd In Denver

Speaking of The Voice, another longtime Voice coach is Shelton’s good friend Kelly Clarkson. The two of them have known each other for years.

We’ve heard Shelton and Clarkson sing together many times before. Some of the songs they’ve performed include “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” “Neon Moon,” and “Austin.”

Shelton and Clarkson united for another duet in 2021. It happened during Shelton’s show in Denver, Colorado on his Friends & Heroes Tour.

No one had any clue that Clarkson was waiting backstage to join Shelton on the song. Her appearance came as a complete surprise to everyone in attendance!

Needless to say, the crowd went wild when Clarkson made her way onstage. One fan-filmed video of the duet captures the exciting duet.

According to NBC, Shelton said, “Kelly freakin’ Clarkson, Denver!” after the song finished. Watch part of their surprise duet in the clip below.

Despite being from 2021, this duet has made the rounds again. Goes to show just how memorable this particular collaboration was!