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WATCH: Dustin Lynch Performs Moving Duet with 17-Year-Old Aspiring Artist

A 17-year-old recently went viral on social media after country singer Dustin Lynch brought her up on stage to sing with him at Country Fest.

Teenager Hailey James is a budding musician herself who went to the Cadott, Wisconsin country music festival with her family in late June. They’re from Minnesota but her parents go to Country Fest every year and always have seats near the front of the stage. Hailey decided to tag along this year, but she obviously had no idea she’d end up onstage with Dustin Lynch.

“I’ve always wanted to play on that stage at Country Fest,” James said told Taste of Country. “And I finally got to sing on it.”

The up-and-coming singer has almost 112,000 followers on TikTok now. It’s been a whirlwind experience for the young teen ever since she sang with Dustin Lynch. She’s gained tons of new social media followers and fulfilled a dream come true when she took the Country Fest stage.

Dustin Lynch Makes Young Fan’s Dream Come True

In the middle of Lynch’s set, the singer had a request for the crowd. He planned on singing his duet “Thinking ‘Bout You” next and asked if any fans wanted to sing with him. As mentioned, Hailey’s parents are Country Fest regulars. Therefore many of the fans seated nearby knew the teenager and her singing voice, so they banded together to get Lynch’s attention.

“I wasn’t paying attention, so [I] didn’t hear him say that,” Hailey admitted. “The next second I hear Dustin say onstage, ‘They’re all pointing at you… Do you want to sing with me?’”

Although Hailey’s nerves got the best of her at first, she quickly settled in onstage. She remembered all the words to the song and took ownership of the stage alongside Lynch.

“Dustin Lynch took my hand, and I was just walking him across the stage like I literally owned that stage,” Hailey recalled. “My parents were blown away at how I took the stage … and I did it. I remembered the words, I acted like I was supposed to be up there, and they were super proud of me.”

@haileyjamesmusic

#countryfest #duet #dustinlynch #haileyjames

♬ original sound – Hailey James Music

While the show dates back to late June, it took some time for the clips of her special moment to go viral. Following the concert itself, she posted footage to her Facebook account and it slowly started garnering views. She decided to make a TikTok account in July where she shared footage of her performance with Dustin Lynch.

That’s when her concert clips took off. After not long, her TikTok videos earned more than six million views across two videos shared to the social media platform. Following graduation, she wants to pursue a music career. It looks like she’s off to a solid start already.