Nashville season 5 episode 21 spoilers: Rachel Bilson sings! (Video)

Rachel BilsonWhen Rachel Bilson first joined Nashville season 5 in the role of Alyssa, we’d assumed that there wouldn’t be a chance to hear her sing. After all, her character is not a singer by trade; she works with the record company, and she’s not even a big fan of country music.

So, let’s just say we were a little bit stunned to first learn that she will be belting out a tune on Thursday night’s new episode — and it’s only as a result of peer pressure/booze. (The sneak peek below, via ET Online, is your evidence.)

After Maddie doesn’t end up singing at karaoke night, Alyssa then hits the stage to belt out “You Don’t Know Me” by Ray Charles. A pretty appropriate song choice, really, when you consider who it is singing it. Clearly, we don’t know Alyssa all that well if it turns out that she has this sort of vocal talent hiding somewhere underneath the surface. It’s a very pleasant rendition of the song!

Do we think that we’re going to see Alyssa suddenly get signed and belting out more songs on a regular basis? Probably not, but this is a rather entertaining character moment that shows clearly that she knows a little bit more about music than she let on previously. One of the reasons that she probably did this was because of her own desire to detach from the art being crafted in her job. She has to examine things more from a clinical perspective, and that does occasionally mean ignoring things in terms of their musical merit. If she gets too invested in anything, that in turn could mean that she struggles more in her job.

Bilson’s been a pleasant addition to the season in terms of adding more depth to the industry side of the show, and with that, we hope that there is more for her that we’re going to get moving into season 6. (CMT already renewed the series, so there isn’t all that much to worry about from that perspective.)

Last week’s episode was absolutely emotional, given that you dove into Gunnar’s past, saw Scarlett recover somewhat from losing her child (she still has a way to go), and saw the continuance of the battle between Juliette and Maddie that stems back from Juliette taking a song originally meant for her earlier this season. With there only being two episodes left this season, rest assured that the tension will be ratcheted up to another level. We’re excited to see how everything unfolds.

Want even more Nashville season 5 news?

Whether it be previews, ratings, or more scoop on the story, you can check out all of the good stuff over at the link here! We will have more on the upcoming season finale coming up a little bit later tonight, so go ahead and be prepared for that. (Photo: CMT.)

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