Post Malone, Blake Shelton make surprise CMA Fest appearance, unveil new song

Post Malone's further cemented his place as a countrified superstar Thursday night, as he shocked a crowd numbering into the tens of thousands with a surprise appearance at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest's first night.

And he brought a friend to the party.

Solo, on the field-level Spotlight Stage, the chart-topping pop performer played a version of his Morgan Wallen duet "I Had Some Help."

Then, in a double surprise, while discussing his forthcoming debut country album, Malone brought one of his album's collaborators, 20-time chart-topping Grand Ole Opry member Blake Shelton, to the stage.

The tandem sang their unreleased duet, "Pour Me A Drink."

The driving country rock song fits into the pocket of work similar to popular artists of recent country memory, like Midland.

Post Malone's country credibility grows

So far, Malone's fanciful drinking anthem, "I Had Some Help," has debuted at Indio, California's Stagecoach Festival and approached "Song Of The Summer" status at Nashville's CMA Fest.

Moreover, in the past few years, he's also been paired with Sara Evans, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, HARDY, Shelton, Wallen, and Dwight Yoakam as on-stage and in-studio collaborators while singing songs from a dozen country favorites—a diverse list spanning Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson to Joe Diffie and Alan Jackson.

Two months ago, he made his Ryman Auditorium debut, joining acts including Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Megan Moroney, Ben Rector, Ian Munsick, Nate Smith, Mat Kearney, Edwin McCain, Grace Bowers, and Lauren Watkins onstage for multimedia personality Bobby Bones' 7th Annual Million Dollar Show at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, which raised $215,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

'I Had Some Help' is in impressive chart-successful company

Still within its first month of release, "I Had Some Help" is the Billboard all-genre Hot 100 chart's No. 1 song, while also in the top ten of country's charts.

Significantly, outside of Garth Brooks' "More Than A Memory" in 2007, "I Had Some Help" is the fastest-rising single on the country charts in 20 years.

Only five songs, including "I Had Some Help" and "More Than A Memory," have reached the top 10 on country's charts in under a month in a quarter century: Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Darryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten?," Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying" are also among that quintet.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Post Malone, Blake Shelton stun CMA Fest with surprise appearance