Taylor Swift’s return to her country roots is making history.
According to Billboard, Swift’s new song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” debuted at No. 8 on the Country Airplay chart dated June 20, marking her first Country Airplay Top 10 hit since “Red” reached No. 7 in December 2013.
The song, which appears in Toy Story 5, earned 19.4 million audience impressions during its first week of release and became Swift’s 19th career Country Airplay Top 10 hit.
The achievement is historic for another reason.
Billboard reports that “I Knew It, I Knew You” is the first song by a female artist ever to debut directly inside the Country Airplay Top 10 since the chart launched in 1990. Only one other song has entered the Top 10 that high: Garth Brooks’ “More Than a Memory,” which debuted at No. 1 in 2007.
The strong debut comes after country radio quickly embraced Swift’s latest release.
“I think Taylor is arguably the biggest music star in the world,” Brent Michaels, program director and on-air personality for KUZZ and KRJK in Bakersfield, California, told Billboard. “It fits sonically and in style to what else is on country radio. All three of those things make it the easiest programming decision of the year.”
Other country radio programmers pointed to both nostalgia and authenticity as key reasons listeners have connected with the song. Sarah Kay of WQMX in Akron, Ohio, told Billboard that the track taps into nostalgia for both Toy Story and Swift’s early country career, while Audacy country format captain Tim Roberts said the song’s country sound feels genuine because it was inspired by Jessie, the cowgirl character from the beloved Pixar franchise.
Swift herself described the song as both familiar and new when announcing its release.
“Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time,” she wrote on Instagram. “Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once.”
The milestone serves as a full-circle moment for the superstar, who launched her career in country music as a teenager before making a highly publicized move into pop with 2014’s 1989. Before leaving country radio, she scored 18 Country Airplay Top 10 hits, including seven No. 1 songs.
While many fans have wondered whether Swift might someday release another full country album, country radio programmers aren’t making any predictions just yet. They are simply enjoying her return.
As Kay told Billboard, “She started here and you can always come home.”
Related: Country Music Hall of Fame Makes Big Taylor Swift Announcement
This story was originally published by Parade on Jun 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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