Country singer Ashley McBryde has invited 11-year-old rising star Sawyer June to make her Grand Ole Opry debut, surprising the youngster with the news during a WSM Radio interview. The pair first met by chance in February when June's family took a backstage Opry tour, and McBryde discovered the young fan not only knew her songs word for word but was a singer in her own right. McBryde immediately grabbed her guitar to perform with June, and the two have stayed in touch since, cementing an unlikely friendship between an established country star and a child just starting out.

McBryde extended the invitation live on air after praising June's recent performance at her Nashville venue, Redemption Bar, telling her the friendship was "one of the best things that's happened to me in a long time" before asking her to "stand in the circle and make your Opry debut." June, overwhelmed, called it "the biggest honour I've ever had in my life" and described McBryde as her best friend. McBryde closed the moment by telling June she was watching her fulfil a promise, declaring: "You're a star, Sawyer June."