Sam Hunt was already ready for a big Grammys night, as a nominee for Best New Artist - but his massive evening kicked off early with a big duet with Carrie Underwood. The two collaborators, best known for working together on her Storyteller track "Heartbeat" took the second stage of the night, mashing up that track with his breakout hit "Take Your Time."
Hunt took the stage first, singing the first verse of "Take Your Time," wearing a simple white T-shirt and basic pants. But, right as the song kicked in to its heart wrenching chorus, Underwood entered stage right and took over vocal duties, slaying as per usual.
Underwood then transitioned into her own single "Heartbeat" (on which Hunt does backing vocals on Storyteller) and, while their duet didn't work quite as well live as it did on record, it was emotionally effective.
The performance ended as Hunt and Underwood traded off song and vocal duties, blending together "Take Your Time" and "Heartbeat" in a way that maybe shouldn't have worked but was actually seamless.
Hunt and Underwood are both nominees at this year's Grammys. Underwood was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for "Little Toy Guns" and Hunt is a multi-nominee for Best Country Album (Montevallo) and Best New Artist.
Hunt and Underwood join a long list of Grammy performers at the 2016 ceremony. Others in the lineup include Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Hollywood Vampires, the Hamilton cast and more.
