These days, it's an objective fact that Taylor Swift is a phenomenon. There’s no question that she’s a big deal. When you consider all of Swift’s projects, both past and present, her megahit Eras Tour, her box office-busting Eras concert film and her gargantuan footprint on pop culture, it’s hard to imagine a time when she wasn’t one. However, right when she was getting started, not everyone knew who she’d become, but Reba McEntire did, and she recalled the moment she realized it. Let’s just say, I’m in awe over this story.
As part of the current panel of The Voice’s coaches, Reba McEntire was walking the carpet for the show, and she was asked about Taylor Swift – since many of the songs performed in that given episode on the 2023 TV schedule were by the pop star. Of course, since the Eras Tour frontwoman’s career started in country, she and Reba ended up in a lot of the same rooms, including the 2007 CMA Awards. That night, the pop star performed “Tim McGraw” in front of Tim McGraw, and McEntire was astonished, as she said in an interview for NBC’s TikTok:
The very first time I ever heard Taylor sing live was on the CMA Awards. She was singing 'Tim McGraw,' playing a guitar. Tim and Faith were in the front row. She walked down the steps looking right at Tim McGraw singing, and I'm like 'This girl's gonna be a huge star.'
Now, it wasn’t like Swift and McGraw were pals at this point. This CMA Awards was Taylor Swift’s award show debut, per Rolling Stone, and she performed her first ever single, “Tim McGraw.” There was no “You Belong With Me” or “Anti-Hero” yet. She wasn’t playing sold-out stadiums at this point. She was a 17-year-old who took a chance and sang right at her hero. Talk about gutsy. As Ms. McEntire said, it’s no wonder the “Our Song” singer became such a star.
Continuing to speak about how impressive Swift’s performance in 2007 was, Reba said:
Number one: to walk, sing, walk downstairs at your icon that you're really wanting to sing to and impress without a flaw. I mean, I was impressed.
Talk about awe-inspiring! These days, we know Taylor Swift is going to bring a level of excellence that few can to her work. However, she’s been doing that for her entire career, as The Voice coach sweetly pointed out.
On top of this story leaving me in awe generally, the fact that Reba McEntire was moved by this performance makes it even better. We’re talking about a country music legend seeing a young woman perform and knowing she was something special. That had to have meant the world to Swift.
Since the 2007 CMAs Swift has been seen on multiple occasions with both Tim McGraw and Reba McEntire. And like Reba, McGraw sang his praises about Swift, saying that he and his wife Faith Hill “knew early on” after seeing her perform with an acoustic guitar that the pop star would become the icon she is today.
Clearly, obviously, these two were right back then, and now, Taylor Swift is one of the biggest artists on the planet. This story of Reba witnessing Swift sing “Tim McGraw” truly left me in amazement, and it had me thinking about the early days of her career compared to where she is now.
As she’s about to re-release Reputation (Taylor’s Version) and the re-recording of her debut album – which features “Tim McGraw” – it’s fun to look back on this formative time and a moment of confidence that alluded to the icon she is today.
