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Taylor Swift’s<\/a><\/strong> return to her country roots is making history.<\/p>\n According to Billboard<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n The song, which appears in Toy Story 5<\/a>, earned 19.4 million audience impressions during its first week of release and became Swift’s 19th career Country Airplay Top 10 hit.<\/p>\n The achievement is historic for another reason.<\/p>\n 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’<\/a><\/strong> “More Than a Memory,” which debuted at No. 1 in 2007.<\/p>\n The strong debut comes after country radio quickly embraced Swift’s latest release.<\/p>\n “I think Taylor is arguably the biggest music<\/a> star in the world,” Brent Michaels<\/strong>, program director and on-air personality for KUZZ and KRJK in Bakersfield, California, told Billboard<\/a>. “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.”<\/p>\n Other country radio programmers pointed to both nostalgia and authenticity as key reasons listeners have connected with the song. Sarah Kay<\/strong> 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<\/strong> said the song’s country sound feels genuine because it was inspired by Jessie, the cowgirl character from the beloved Pixar franchise.<\/p>\n Swift herself described the song as both familiar and new when announcing its release.<\/p>\n “Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time,” she wrote on Instagram<\/a>. “Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once.”<\/p>\n The milestone serves as a full-circle moment for the superstar, who launched her career in country music<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n As Kay told Billboard, “She started here and you can always come home.”<\/p>\n Related: Country Music Hall of Fame Makes Big Taylor Swift Announcement<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Jun 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n