Country music superstar Reba McEntire is joining Cody Johnson on a new song, “Dear Rodeo.” Written by Cody, along with Dan Couch, the song was Cody’s way of saying goodbye to his former life to pursue music, something that personally resonated with Reba as well.

“It was a thrill to get to sing ‘Dear Rodeo’ with Cody because we’re both from the rodeo world,” Reba said at a virtual media event ahead of the song’s release. “I grew up in a rodeo family, I’m a third-generation rodeo brat. So the song means a lot to me because I did leave rodeo to be in the country music business. I sure miss it.”

Cody released several successful albums on his own, before signing with Warner Bros. to release Ain’t Nothin’ to It last year. The record includes both his Top 20 single, “On My Way to You” and “Dear Rodeo.” Although he has already earned plenty of respect, from both the music industry and his loyal fans, the Texas native never imagined that he could get Reba to sing on the pensive track with him.

“The story behind ‘Dear Rodeo’ is more a story about life and less about rodeo,” Cody shared. “I feel like everybody has their own ‘Dear Rodeo’ story and when I found out that Reba was impacted by this song enough to want to do a duet, it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my career. Reba adds a certain level of authenticity to this song that makes it so special. I love it when people sing songs about rodeo and cowboys, but there’s a little bit of a different feel when you know that somebody can walk the walk they’re talking.

“Neither one of us has a problem saying ‘Hey, this is where I come from, you can check the credentials, we’ve got the scars to prove it,'” he added. “I think that the honesty is really going to speak to people, and hopefully we can help people with this song.”

Reba, who was discovered while singing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo while still in college, instantly felt a connection to “Dear Rodeo.”

“[‘Dear Rodeo’] is so heartfelt,” Reba said. “People can think on the very surface that it is about rodeo, but then when a person listens to it, it could be a girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, relationship, or life in general. So it has got legs. It’s like throwing a rock in a pond and the ripples are taking effect. I was thrilled to pieces, and I fell in love with it because of my rodeo background. I did have to say goodbye to the rodeo, and so this really settled in my bones.”