Nashville’ Son and Music Career (Exclusive)

LeAnn Rimes’ new role on 9-1-1: Nashville has a sweet connection to her decades-spanning career.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE on the set of the new ABC series, the country star says it’s “so crazy” that her character, Dixie Bennings, has a son named Blue Bennings, played by newcomer Hunter McVey.

Even though Rimes notes that the character name is “coincidental” as it was decided upon before her casting, she assures fans that she and McVey are “definitely going to have some good fun” with it.

Rimes, 43, released “Blue” as her debut single in 1996 when she was just 13 years old.

The song, written by Bill Mack in 1958, peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Country Chart that year and earned Rimes a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, kicking off her lauded music career.

McVey, who is making his acting debut on 9-1-1: Nashville, similarly tells PEOPLE he “didn’t have any choice over” his character’s name and says he’s honoring the connection by focusing on doing what he can to “make her proud with the name Blue.”

“There is a lot of pressure. It’s a lot of stress. It’s a very new environment for me,” he says. “I’m just trying to soak up as much information as I can, like a sponge.”

Both Rimes and McVey gush about their mother-son dynamic on the show.

“Oh my god, Hunter’s incredible,” Rimes says of her co-star. “We had an instant connection, and he’s just the sweetest human.”

McVey returns the favor, calling it a “blessing” to work with her and saying, “LeAnn is an incredible human being and so good at what she does, because she brings so much raw emotion and energy to the set every single day.”

The actor recalls being “so nervous” filming his first scene with Rimes, noting, “I was sweating. I mean, they kept having to pat me down. The whole back of my shirt was wet from sweat.”

He says Rimes “made me feel just at home and she welcomed me with open arms,” adding that she “has a very motherly energy about her.”

Rimes and McVey are joined on 9-1-1: Nashville by Chris O’Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Michael Provost, Hailey Kilgore and Juani Feliz.

The series, the newest installment in Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1 franchise, follows the lives of emergency responders as they face life-threatening — and often over-the-top — situations in Music City.

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9-1-1: Nashville premieres Thursday, Oct. 9, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, and streams the next day on Hulu.