Country music fans were completely caught off guard when Carly Pearce and Riley Green revealed they were secretly working on a duet together.

The two artists recently gave audiences an early listen to their upcoming song, “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay,” performing it live before the track’s official release date on March 13.

The surprise collaboration first sparked massive buzz online weeks earlier.

On February 26, Pearce and Green suddenly posted a teaser for the song on social media. Until that moment, fans had no idea the two country stars had been working on a project together.

But what really sent the internet into a frenzy wasn’t just the collaboration itself.

It was the intimate teaser video that truly grabbed fans’ attention.

In the clip shared on their Instagram accounts, Pearce and Green are seen sitting very close together, appearing relaxed and cuddled up in what many viewers described as a surprisingly personal moment.

The short video immediately sparked speculation online, with fans flooding the comment sections asking whether the two artists had more than just musical chemistry.

Even before the reveal, Pearce had already started building the mystery.

One day earlier, she posted a behind-the-scenes snippet showing a hand gently running along her arm and leg. Because the person’s face wasn’t shown, fans were left guessing who the mystery partner might be.

Not long after, it became clear that Riley Green was the person in the video.

Pearce also wiped almost all content from her Instagram page, leaving only posts related to the upcoming album and the new duet, which made fans even more curious about what she had planned.

Then came the moment fans had been waiting for — the first live performance.

During a recent appearance, Pearce stepped onto the stage and surprised the audience by inviting Green out to perform the song with her.

Before they began, she shared a few words about why she wanted him to be part of the track.

“I’ve gotten to sing with this person several times over the last few years,” Pearce told the crowd. “And I just felt that connection that I always look for when I am thinking about a collaborator.”

She then revealed the title of