Tim McGrawis opening up about how he felt whenTaylor Swiftnamed her debut single after him.While speaking in arecent interviewwith Apple Music Country for Apple Music Essentials, the 53-year-old musician spoke candidly about being the inspiration behind Swift’s breakout hit almost 15 years after the song was first released.Detailing that he was impressed with the song, McGraw further admitted that he was “a little apprehensive” about thetrackwhen he first heard it.“I thought, have I gotten to that age now to where they’re singing songs about me? Does that mean I’ve jumped the shark a bit? Is everything still cool?” he explained to host Alecia Davis. “And then I realized that somebody had told me that she was in her seventh-grade math class when she wrote the song, so it made me feel a little bit better about that because she was so young writing it. So I didn’t feel like I was that terribly old.“John Shearer/TAS18/Getty"Tim McGraw” was released in 2006 as Swift’s first-ever single from her self-titled debut album and peaked at No. 40 on theBillboardHot 100 and No. 6 on Hot Country Songs.Back in 2007, while attending the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Swift, 31, performed a live rendition of the song andmet McGraw for the first timeduring the ceremony. “It’s so nice to meet you,” Swift said as she held onto her guitar and greeted the country star and his wife,Faith Hill.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Years later, in 2018, thesuperstar couple also joined Swift on stageduring herReputation World Tourto perform the 2006 single as a trio.McGraw also collaborated on an original song with the “Cardigan” crooner in 2013, titled “Highway Don’t Care.” Released as the third single from McGraw’sTwo Lanes of Freedomalbum, the song also features fellow music starKeith Urbanon guitar.RELATED VIDEO: Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard Call for Unity on New Duet ‘Undivided’During his conversation with Apple Music, McGraw also spoke about how he got to know Swift better when she opened for himself and Hill, 53, on the couple’s Soul2Soul tour.“It was incredible,” he recalled. “It was just her and her guitar and one other person. Just two people, her and another guy playing.“The “Don’t Take the Girl” singer then noted that he has become “a big fan of Taylor’s,” adding, “I think that she has just such a unique way of connecting with her audience and her songwriting ability and her intuition is just so incredible.““And I just think she’s one of the greatest artists to come along in a long time,” he shared.
Tim McGrawis opening up about how he felt whenTaylor Swiftnamed her debut single after him.
While speaking in arecent interviewwith Apple Music Country for Apple Music Essentials, the 53-year-old musician spoke candidly about being the inspiration behind Swift’s breakout hit almost 15 years after the song was first released.
Detailing that he was impressed with the song, McGraw further admitted that he was “a little apprehensive” about thetrackwhen he first heard it.
“I thought, have I gotten to that age now to where they’re singing songs about me? Does that mean I’ve jumped the shark a bit? Is everything still cool?” he explained to host Alecia Davis. “And then I realized that somebody had told me that she was in her seventh-grade math class when she wrote the song, so it made me feel a little bit better about that because she was so young writing it. So I didn’t feel like I was that terribly old.”
John Shearer/TAS18/Getty
“Tim McGraw” was released in 2006 as Swift’s first-ever single from her self-titled debut album and peaked at No. 40 on theBillboardHot 100 and No. 6 on Hot Country Songs.
Back in 2007, while attending the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Swift, 31, performed a live rendition of the song andmet McGraw for the first timeduring the ceremony. “It’s so nice to meet you,” Swift said as she held onto her guitar and greeted the country star and his wife,Faith Hill.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Years later, in 2018, thesuperstar couple also joined Swift on stageduring herReputation World Tourto perform the 2006 single as a trio.
McGraw also collaborated on an original song with the “Cardigan” crooner in 2013, titled “Highway Don’t Care.” Released as the third single from McGraw’sTwo Lanes of Freedomalbum, the song also features fellow music starKeith Urbanon guitar.
RELATED VIDEO: Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard Call for Unity on New Duet ‘Undivided’
During his conversation with Apple Music, McGraw also spoke about how he got to know Swift better when she opened for himself and Hill, 53, on the couple’s Soul2Soul tour.
“It was incredible,” he recalled. “It was just her and her guitar and one other person. Just two people, her and another guy playing.”
The “Don’t Take the Girl” singer then noted that he has become “a big fan of Taylor’s,” adding, “I think that she has just such a unique way of connecting with her audience and her songwriting ability and her intuition is just so incredible.”
“And I just think she’s one of the greatest artists to come along in a long time,” he shared.
source: people.com
