Lainey Wilson and Tim McGraw perform on stage during day three of the 2026 CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium on June 6, 2026, in Nashville. Jason Kempin / Courtesy of Getty Images

Lainey Wilson had a full-circle moment when she teamed up with soon-to-be Country Music Hall of Famer Tim McGraw onstage at CMA Fest in early June.

During McGraw’s set, he welcomed his fellow Louisiana native to join him in singing his 1995 hit “I Like It, I Love It.” Wilson, who had performed her own set at the stadium earlier in the evening, added an extra jolt of energy to McGraw’s classic hit.

It also fulfilled a childhood dream for Wilson, who, as a young girl, wrote a McGraw a letter telling him of her own country-music dreams. “Singing, writing and performing are the most important things in my life. All I need is the opportunity, I can do the rest,” she wrote in that letter.

But at CMA Fest, Wilson joined McGraw not as simply a fan, but as a fellow CMA entertainer of the year-winning artist, country radio hitmaker and concert headliner.

Their performance is one of the top standouts that will be highlighted Thursday night (June 25) when CMA Fest Presented By SoFI airs at 7 p.m. CT on ABC and the following day on Hulu.

Hosted by Riley Green and Lara Spencer, the three-hour primetime special puts a number of surprise collabs and top-flight performances from this year’s CMA Fest in Nashville in the spotlight.

In addition to McGraw and Wilson, this year’s stacked lineup of CMA Fest performers included Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Deana Carter, Ella Langley, Fetty Wap, Florida Georgia Line, Gretchen Wilson, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Michael McDonald, Molly Tuttle, The Red Clay Strays, Ricky Skaggs, Riley Green, Russell Dickerson, Shaboozey, Shay Morgan, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tucker Wetmore and Zach Top. 

Watch a clip of McGraw and Wilson teaming up during CMA Fest below:

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox

Sign Up