Country Radio Welcomes Taylor Swift Back with Open Arms: ‘It’s the Easiest Programming Decision of the Year’
Categoria: Musica
Where will her 'Toy Story 5' tune, 'I Knew It, I Knew You' debut on the Country Airplay chart?
Por Billboard | 11/06/2026
Who says you can’t go home again? It’s been 13 years since Taylor Swift reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. But her absence in the top tier will likely end Friday (June 11), when “I Knew It, I Knew You” appears headed for a Top 10 debut. Related ‘Ella-bration’! Langley Becomes First Woman to Score Three Simultaneous Top 10s on Country Airplay Olivia Rodrigo Recalls How 'Diehard Super Fan' Dad Teared Up While Meeting The Cure's Robert Smith New York Knicks Radio Analyst Questions Taylor Swift's Knicks Fandom During NBA Finals Game: 'Get Out of Here, Girl' The charming tune from Toy Story drew 41.8 million in all-format radio airplay audience June 5-10, with 17.4 million from reporters to Billboard ’s Country Airplay chart, per Luminate building data. (Highlights of the June 20-dated chart will post Friday, June 12, on Billboard.com.) Swift positioned the harmonica-laden tune as a country song from the start and country stations — and listeners have welcomed her and the tender song about enduring friendship back with open arms. MCA has actively pushed the song to country radio. For country radio programmers, adding the song was a no-brainer. “I think Taylor is arguably the biggest music star in the world. It’s a part of one of the biggest films of the summer. 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,” says Brent Michaels , PD/on-air personality for country outlets KUZZ AM/FM and KRJK-FM in Bakersfield, Calif. “If Taylor is creating music that fits alongside the other biggest hit makers in country, we’re crazy to not go along for the ride. She moves the needle with every project.” Sarah Kay , PD/morning show host at WQMX in Akron, Ohio, says of the song’s popularity: “I think it is all about nostalgia: Toy Story , Taylor in country music.” Kay also cites the song’s quality and authenticity and Swift’s expressed love for Toy Story since the first movie came out in 1995 when she was five. “That was a full circle moment for her,” Kay says. “I mean at the premiere she carried [around] her VHS copy of the movie and had the cast sign it! Come on!” Tim Roberts , Audacy vp/country format captain of programming, also salutes the authenticity of the song. “Taylor has always been driven by great songs. When she wrote this song specifically for the movie and inspired by Jessie from Toy Story (a true cowgirl), I think the vibe felt country, so it makes sense,” he says. Swift posted a video of her five-year-old self dancing around dressed as Jessie, the cowgirl rag doll from the film, when she announced the single on Instagram on June 5, noting, “Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once. And being a @toystory kid from the age of 5 til now… is an adventure I plan