Carrie Underwood grew up adoring Randy Travis. So when she got to meet her musical hero, the Oklahoma native admits she was anything but cool.

“The first time I met him, I totally embarrassed myself. I cried and he was the nicest guy ever,” Carrie recalled on her own Apple Music Country’s XO Radio show (via Music Mayhem). “I went on to cover one of his songs on my album [Carnival Ride]. It was a hit for him twice in that sense and I also got to sing with him on a song called ‘Is It Still Over.’”

The song Carrie covered on Carnival Ride was “I Told You So,” which Randy took to the top of the charts in 1988. Carrie never imagined, as a little girl dreaming of a career in country music, how important that song would end up becoming for her.

“I sang his song ‘I Told You So,’ it’s just been one of the biggest blessings in my life, and [then] he invited me to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry,” Carrie recalled of her Opry performance in 2008.

Carrie has performed in some of the biggest venues in the world, but she has never been as nervous as when she sang another one of his songs, “Promises,” in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame member.

“I recently got to sing my absolute favorite song of his to him, it’s called ‘Promises’ at the ASCAP Awards this past November and I was crazy nervous,” Carrie recounted. “I was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been doing anything in my entire life because that song was magic to me, even as a child but it was such an incredible moment.”

Randy hasn’t been able to sing since his 2013 stroke, but he still left a lasting impression on Carrie.

“Randy Travis means so much to me and I feel like personally and musically our paths have crossed a trillion times and I am a better performer, musician, writer and person for it,” Carrie said.