Jennifer Nettles' bonus track 'His Hands' (featuring Brandy Clark) on the deluxe edition of her first solo album is a song worth listening to. It has all the elements of a great tune -- and a compelling story, a surprising twist that will startle any listener and an impactful message that is meant to help other women in the same situation.

Before making her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage as a solo artist, Nettles sat down and talked about the inspiration for 'His Hands' for their Story Behind the Song series.

"The inspiration behind 'His Hands' was twofold. The song itself was initially written as a duet, 'cause I wanted it to be a duet," Nettles says of working with Clark. "I wanted to do a duet that was with two women, but wasn't trying to recycle 'Does He Love You' [with Reba McEntire and Linda Davis] because that's a classic ... that's already been done the best it can be done."

Continues the spunky blonde, "I wanted it to have a different subject matter and I also wanted it to have something that could possibly help people at the same time." 

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What type of 'people' is Nettles talking about? The answer is revealed in the 'His Hands' lyrics. At the beginning of the track, while singing about the 'perfect gentleman,' "... you assume it's about an intimate, passionate encounter, and then when you start to hear the second verse, you start to realize, 'Ooh something else is going on here.'"

She adds, "I love that moment of discovery."

Nettles performed 'His Hands' onstage at the Opry with singer Brandy Clark. The duet is available as a single now on iTunes. "Brandy and I performing this song on tour came about really organically," she says, explaining that she wasn't able to make the duet happen in the studio, so to perform it with another woman onstage was the icing on the cake.

"Our voices are very different and her voice has a sweet vulnerability to it that I think almost makes the character in the second verse almost that much more believable ... and authentic," she concludes.

This was Nettles' first time on the Opry stage since her 2004 appearance with duo Sugarland. Though both she and Kristian Bush are pursuing solo careers, they reportedly are not breaking up and are deeply proud of one another's individual success.

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