Maybe it’s the song she wrote, but when we think of Tim McGraw, we always think of Taylor Swift (see, Tay, we can take instructions!). You know, “When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you’ll think of me”? Turns out, Tim also thinks about Taylor. In a recent Associated Press interview, Tim discussed his career, singing abroad, and (most interesting to us) his view on Taylor Swift as a musician.

“She’s great. You know, I’ve been a fan of Taylor so long...” Tim gushes. “She actually toured with Faith and I for our Soul to Soul tour a few years ago.” Oh man, we would’ve killed to be in the audience for that. It’s funny to think of the three of them together, considering all the rumors abound that three of the main characters on Nashville may have been inspired by the trio — Deacon (Charles Esten) has some similarities to Tim, Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) displays some of Taylor’s most obvious attributes, and Rayna’s (Connie Britton) look was admittedly based on Faith Hill’s.

As for how Tim feels about Taylor’s enviable career, he couldn’t say anything nicer. “[Y]ou know she’s one of those rare artists that come along that there’s only been a handful of throughout the history of music, who creates such a weight behind her, pulls so many people into what her music is about that they discover so many different artists because of what she does. She’s just a really special, special artist.”