Back in 2009 on American Idol, eventual runner-up Adam Lambert experienced his big breakthrough during, of all weeks, Country Week. Of course, the flamboyant showman – who at the time was sporting , complete with black nail varnish, guyliner, and lots and lots of leather – didn’t do a typical, straight-up country cover; instead, he performed a sexy, slinky, sitar-rock version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Baffled guest mentor Randy Travis didn’t totally approve, and the performance was polarizing, to say the least – but the daring moment definitely established Lambert as a true outside-the-box artist and an Idol Season 8 one to watch.

Fast-forward more than six years later, and Lambert had a full-circle moment of sorts this Wednesday, when he teamed with another singing-competition alum, The X Factor U.K. pop diva Leona Lewis, to perform on… the CMT Artist of the Year special, an event honoring Nashville royalty Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Chris Stapleton, Sam Hunt, and Kenny Rogers. And interestingly, he seemed right at home on that country stage.

This time, Lambert gave a more toned-down and traditional country performance, but it was still a bit of an eyebrow-raiser, since the song he and Lewis dueted on was Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.” While “Girl Crush” eventually became a massive hit this year, at first it caused a stir at conservative country radio, when some homophobic listeners protested stations playing a song supposedly sanctioning lesbian love (never mind that that wasn’t even what the single was about at all).

The cover version this week by Lambert – an openly gay man – added a whole new layer of interpretation to the song. But judging by the reaction from the star-studded audience in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, no one disapproved. Vocal powerhouses Lambert and Lewis absolutely crushed this very relevant “Girl Crush” performance.