Kenny Chesney Recognized Taylor Swift’s Talent ‘Early’ — but Never Knew She ‘Would Help Bring the World Together’

It was easy for Kenny Chesney to recognize Taylor Swift’s talent — but not the impact she would have on music and the world at large.

After Swift told a sweet story about the country superstar, 55, in her recent Time cover story, Chesney opened up about his first impressions of the “Karma” singer, 34, in a new interview with USA Today.

Chesney’s 2007 Flip-Flop Summer Tour was originally meant to feature a then-17-year-old Swift as an opening act, but she was later removed from the concerts due to her age after a beer company became the sponsor. “I was devastated,” she recalled to Time.

Determined to remedy the situation, the “Out Last Night” singer gifted Swift a note that read, “I’m sorry that you couldn’t come on the tour, so I wanted to make it up to you,” she told the outlet, along with a check “for more money than I’d ever seen in my life.”

I was able to pay my band bonuses. I was able to pay for my tour buses,” said Swift in the interview. “I was able to fuel my dreams.”

After reading the Time story, Chesney spoke to the “Lavender Haze” musician about the moment. “I texted her and told her thank you for the love, and I was stunned she remembered it,” he told USA Today.