At the 2016 ACM Awards, Lady Antebellum frontman Charles Kelley took to the stage to perform “Lonely Girl,” the smoldering single from his first effort as a solo artist, The Driver.

Kelley announced that he would perform “Lonely Girl” at the beginning of the awards, as part of some good-natured ribbing of its co-writer, Song of the Year winner Chris Stapleton. From a platform in the middle of the crowd, Kelley vibed with two backup singers as he delivered a particularly strong vocal performance of “Lonely Girl.”

With this performance, Kelley stepped into his own as a solo artist as he really hit his stride at the chorus: “Lonely girl, you're the only girl for me / Can't you see? / When you're all alone, put this record on in your room / Oh, and you won't be lonely / You won't be lonely, girl."

Just days ago, Kelley announced that “Lonely Girl” would be the latest single from The Driver, noting that the song wasn’t “the right fit” for his work with Lady Antebellum, and that it’s “not easy to follow Stapleton’s demo,” but that Kelly “put [his] own little spin on it, and it’s turned out to be a favorite live.”

On April 9, plenty of fans will have the opportunity to see Kelley perform “Lonely Girl” up close and personal as he heads out on tour to support the release of The Driver.

Watch Charles Kelley's 2016 ACM Awards Performance

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