When Taylor Swift was just starting her career, she found inspiration in country music legends Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

Reflecting on his relationship with Swift, who graces the cover of PEOPLE’s 2023 Most Intriguing People of the Year issue, McGraw, known for hits like "I Like It I Love It," opened up about the conversations they had 16 years ago when she opened for his Soul2Soul tour.

In Faith’s dressing room, they had extensive discussions with Swift about being open to listening while still asserting herself as the one in control.

“We had long conversations with her in Faith’s dressing room about always being open to listening, but always know that you’re the leader, that you’re the one making decisions, that you will know what song is going to work or not and that you are the captain of your ship,” McGraw, 56, tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story.

Swift, 33, famously named her 2006 debut single after McGraw, and the McGraw-Hill duo frequently had heart-to-heart conversations with the young singer-songwriter.

“I remember thinking this girl has so much talent and so much moxie, and she’s so curious,” McGraw adds. “We both absolutely fell in love with her instantly, as an artist and as a person — just a fellow professional that you realize totally knows what they are doing.”

Aside from her talent and drive, McGraw admires Swift's ability to handle the spotlight: “She knows when, where, how to promote [her work], but she also knows when, where, how to be normal and be a human just living her life,” McGraw says of Swift.

“I think she has brilliantly navigated that line.”

In 2021, McGraw opened up about being the inspiration behind Swift's breakout hit in an interview with Apple Music Country for Apple Music Essentials.

While initially apprehensive about the song, McGraw was impressed with the track when he first heard it.

"I thought, have I gotten to that age now to where they're singing songs about me? Does that mean I've jumped the shark a bit? Is everything still cool?" he explained to host Alecia Davis. "And then I realized that somebody had told me that she was in her seventh-grade math class when she wrote the song, so it made me feel a little bit better about that because she was so young writing it.

So I didn't feel like I was that terribly old."

Released in 2006 as Swift's debut single from her self-titled album, "Tim McGraw" reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on Hot Country Songs.

In 2007, at the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Swift performed the song live and had the opportunity to meet McGraw for the first time. "It's so nice to meet you," Swift said as she greeted the country star and his wife with her guitar in hand.

Years later, in 2018, the superstar couple joined Swift on stage during her Reputation World Tour to perform the 2006 single as a trio.

For more insights on Taylor Swift from her friends and collaborators, grab the latest issue of PEOPLE, available on newsstands everywhere Friday.