Carrie Underwood says her duet with Jason Aldean, "If I Didn't Love You," was years in the making.
While the duet, which was released earlier this year, may have come as a surprise to some, the country singer said she and Aldean have been plotting for years to set up a collaboration.
The pair have teamed up for live performances over the years, including a cover of Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City" at the 2010 CMA Fest, but this marks their first official studio duet.
"Jason asked if I would sing 'If I Didn't Love You' with him," she recently shared. "I knew I liked the song, and Jason and I have actually been trying to do things together over the years. We've sang together before, but we've never officially recorded anything together."
"It just kind of felt like this could be our moment," she added.
Underwood continued, "I felt like it was a little bit of an unexpected duet to other people, but I feel like I always knew at some point I'd probably sing with him officially, and this just seemed like the stars were aligning and it just seemed like it was going to be the perfect fit."
"If I Didn't Love You" is nearing the top spot on country radio -- sitting at No. 2 on the Billboard charts the last two weeks.
The hit duet is featured on Aldean's upcoming album, "Macon," set for release on Nov. 12.