Kenny Chesney Surprises Kelsea Ballerini Onstage for 'Half of My Hometown' Duet in LA: 'So Proud'

Cibelle Levi Kenny Chesney and Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini was surprised by a superstar duet partner during her recent concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

In the middle of her Heartfirst Tour concert on Thursday, Ballerini was shocked to see Kenny Chesney join her onstage to sing their duet, "Half of My Hometown," from her 2020 album Kelsea.

After performing a mashup of "LOVE IS A COWBOY" from her 2022 Subject to Change album with The Chicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away," the 29-year-old country singer told the crowd she was experiencing tracking issues and killing time until her tour crew could fix the problem.

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Kelsea Ballerini

The country icon, 54, then entered the stage and snuck up behind Ballerini, who appeared shocked upon seeing him, as the audience began cheering. She and Chesney hugged before proceeding to sing "Half of My Hometown," which he describes as a magical experience.

"Singing 'Half of My Hometown' with Kelsea is always magic, because she grew up where I did... and she knows all those places, too," Chesney tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. "So proud of her, especially at the Greek last night."

The musicians shared another hug following the duet performance, and Ballerini informed the crowd that she was genuinely shocked by Chesney's appearance, as she generally asks too many questions for anyone to truly "surprise" her.

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On Friday, Ballerini took to Instagram and shared a snapshot from the performance, writing in the post's caption, "half of my hometown showed up in los angeles last night. @kennychesney WHAT A SURPRISE IM STILL LOSING IT?!?"

Chesney replied in the post's comments section. "Very happy your team kept it a secret. Haha. Love you and very proud of you," he wrote.

Ballerini's Heartfirst Tour continues with a show in Kansas City, Missouri on Oct. 9 and runs through Oct. 14 with performances in Atlanta, Philadelphia and a concluding show in Mashantucket, Connecticut.