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Tim McGraw shared his reaction to a cover of one of his songs by a singer who’s gained a following of more than 2.2 million on TikTok.
Earlier this summer, Alexandra Kay took to TikTok in a hotel room in Chicago, where she was playing a show later that night. Kay is a rising country artist who describes her voice as one “reminiscent of Dolly Parton, Alison Kraus and Lee Ann Womack.” As she mixed an iced coffee, Kay delivered her rendition of McGraw’s 1994 hit “Don’t Take The Girl.” She sang:
“Johnny's daddy, was takin' him fishing / When he was eight years old / That little girl came through the front gate / Holdin' a fishin' pole / His dad looked down and smiled / Said we can't leave her behind / Son I know you don't want her to go / But someday you'll change your mind
And Johnny said / Take Jimmy Johnson, take Tommy Thompson / Take my best friend Bo / Take anybody that you want as, long as she don't go / Take any boy in the world...”
Kay ended the video with a sip of her coffee, leaving out Johnny’s plea “Daddy please, don't take the girl.” Her video has since been viewed by more than half a million followers on TikTok — and one viewer is apparently McGraw himself. The country icon took to his own social media channels to share his reaction to Kay’s cover, posting to TikTok on Monday evening (September 13) and following up on Facebook and Instagram by Tuesday morning (September 14).
Mixing an iced coffee of his own, McGraw shares his reactions silently, careful not to drown out Kay’s singing. McGraw says “I love her voice,” “dang, girl,” “see if my coffee turns out as good as she sings this song,” and other compliments.
Kay replied to McGraw on Facebook:
“Tim McGraw thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is a dream come true!”
Listen to her cover — and see McGraw’s reaction — here: