In 2018, Russell Dickerson hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “Yours,” three years after the song’s release. The Tennessee native’s next three singles —”Blue Tacoma,” “Every Little Thing,” and “Love You Like I Used To”—all reached the same milestone. That level of success would prove elusive again, however, and Dickerson admitted he sometimes wondered if he’d peaked. Then came his biggest streaming debut yet with “Happen to Me,” which has continued to ascend the charts since its March 2025 release. And recently, Russell Dickerson had the opportunity to perform it with one of the biggest boys bands of all time—the Jonas Brothers.
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Russell Dickerson Joins the Jonas Brothers for “The Collab I Didn’t Know I Needed”
Kicking off their JONAS20: Greetings From Your Hometown Tour earlier this month, the Jonas Brothers have surprised each crowd with a different special guest. So far, that has included Demi Lovato, Jesse McCartney, Plain White Ts, Switchfoot, and more.
During the Jonas Brothers’ Aug. 28 stop at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, they threw a curveball with their surprise guest: Russell Dickerson. The ACM-nominated country artist enthusiastically bounded onstage, and the pop-rock trio chimed in during his spirited performance of “Happen to Me.”
“And now she’s singin’ “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” at the top of her lungs / Don’t even know she’s ’bout to wreck someone, Dickerson sang. And, boys, I’m in trouble now, ain’t even tryna get out / So come on, baby, take me down, down, down, yeah.
Summing up all our feelings, one TikTok user proclaimed the performance as “the collab I didn’t know I needed.” Responding directly to the comment, Dickerson, 38, replied, “Didn’t think this would Happen To Me ‘til the Year 3000.“
[RELATED: Exclusive: Russell Dickerson Writes Career Song “Bones,” Honors Rock Band Finch]
Coming Full Circle
Russell Dickerson co-wrote all but two songs on his fourth studio album, Famous Back Home, which dropped Aug. 22. During a recent sit-down with Sports Illustrated, the “Death Row” crooner talked about how his latest record has brought him full circle.
” I started out just being me, then success hit, and I thought, okay, I’ve got to sustain this. So, I played it safe for a while,” Dickerson said. “But in the last six months, especially since “Happen To Me” came out, I’ve realized I don’t have to be ashamed of any part of me. I can be ridiculous; I can be a sentimental dad.”
He added, “I don’t have to be just the cool country star guy. I can be all of it.”
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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