Chrissy Metz has already achieved plenty of awards and accolades, including two coveted Screen Actor Guild Awards. But perhaps her biggest accomplishment, at least for her personally, was making her Grand Ole Opry debut, which she did on July 25, alongside Tracy Lawrence and CeCe Winans.

“There’s something very humbling about being on the stage with no audience, although I’m very used to no fanfare and stuff at work, so I’m like, ‘OK, no problem,'” she shared with Circle Sessions, ahead of her performance. “But then I thought, ‘Oh man, it feels much more intimate. I had all sorts of feelings going through at that moment. Excitement for sure, and a lot of gratitude.”

Chrissy has performed at both the ACM Awards and the Oscars, but never imagined being invited to perform on the Opry stage.

“I didn’t believe my manager,” Chrissy said, recalling her invitation. “I was like, ‘I don’t think so. What?’ … But the I just thought, ‘Oh my goodness. The people who have been on that stage.’ It’s really hard to wrap your head around. It’s really unbelievable.”

It may seem a stretch for Chrissy to segue into country music, but the 39-year-old says music, of all genres but especially country music, has always been part of her life.

“I grew up in Japan,” Chrissy recounted. “My dad was in the Navy and my parents were huge music fans. We listened to everything. I would sing in my bedroom by myself, because I was afraid of my own shadow, and make little videos and tapes and stuff. It wasn’t really until middle school where my mom couldn’t afford an instrument for band, but it was great, because I got to join choir, and I felt more comfortable being one of many in a choir.

“Making music is I think one of the most special things ever, in the whole wide world,” she continued. “It wasn’t until my senior year of high school, when I actually had enough guts to audition for chamber choir, which is a very special choir that you have to audition for. It’s a big to-do, and my choir teacher was like, ‘I want to nominate you for this scholarship’ … That was sort of a jumping off point for me, of ‘OK, maybe music is something I could do.'”

Chrissy planned on pursuing music, but unintentionally got pulled into the acting world as well, ultimately scoring one of the lead roles, as Kate Pearson, in This Is Us.

“I remember getting a script, and the words were italicized, which means that somebody is singing them. And those words happened to be Kate’s words … I never auditioned as a singer; they didn’t even know I could sing. And then, by the grace of God, it just sort of fell into the script, and it was just so interesting, because as Rebecca, who of course Mandy Moore plays in the show, as she doesn’t necessarily find her success as a singer, it’s just that much more poignant when Kate tries to follow in her mom’s footsteps.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” she added. “I feel like if I didn’t have that experience doing that on set, and through a character, I don’t know if I’d have the courage to be doing this right now as Chrissy. I just know that everything happens for a reason.”

Chrissy is working on her debut album. She has already released “Talking to God” and “Actress” from the record.