Taylor Swift is heading back to the CMA Awards. Her song for Toy Story 5, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” has earned a Single of the Year nomination at the 2026 CMA Awards, and she’s confirmed she’ll attend the November 18 ceremony, her first appearance there in a decade. She’s also scheduled to perform for the first time in 13 years.
Swift built her early career in country before releasing her pop album 1989 in 2014. In June 2026, the Toy Story 5 soundtrack arrived with “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which she wrote with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff after seeing an early cut of the Pixar film.
The song centers on cowgirl toy Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, and Emily, the child who originally owned her. Discussing Jessie in a June 20/20 special, Swift said, “So I’m really happy to, like, give her a happy moment.” She’s the only musician besides composer Randy Newman to contribute an original song to the Toy Story franchise.
In September, Swift explained how the lyrics connect childhood memories with the toys’ experience. The word “daze” can also suggest passing days, while images of grass evoke both childhood play and the limited height from which the toys see the world. The parachute imagery draws on the films’ army toys and the people who help soften the experience of growing up.
“Looks like I haven’t yee’d my last haw,” she wrote on Instagram Stories after the nominations were announced. “See you there Nov 18.”
Swift looked back on 20 years in music at an August 2026 Grammy Museum retrospective, where the singer spoke about the Nashville country scene that shaped her career. Her comments came after she’d returned to the genre for the Toy Story 5 song.
“I love my country roots more and more as I go further in this path, I want to honor them more and more, the artist who shaped who I am, and that all happened in Nashville,” Swift said.