Billy Ray Cyrus Told 23-Year-Old Blake Shelton to 'Toughen Up' During 'Pep Talk' Ahead of First TV Appearance

Blake Shelton learned real fast how the "Boys 'Round Here" do things.

During a recent guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the country superstar revealed an interesting speech Billy Ray Cyrus gave to him ahead of his very first television appearance at the start of his successful career more than 20 years ago.

Shelton was 23 years old when producers for the 2001 CMA Awards asked him to participate in a short cameo for the show as it transitioned into a commercial break.

For his brief television debut, Shelton was requested to say a quick teaser about what awards and performances were coming next before singing roughly 20 seconds of his hit single "Austin" from his very first album, Blake Shelton.

While speaking to Jimmy Kimmel during a guest appearance on the Wednesday, November 8, episode of his talk show, Shelton, 47, recalled being absolutely terrified to walk out on the stage during the CMAs more than two decades ago, admitting it was Cyrus who helped calm down his nerves.

The "God Gave Me You" singer said he was standing in the wings as Cyrus exited the stage after presenting an award when the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer, 62, introduced himself to Shelton and asked if he was okay.

"And I go, 'Man, I'm scared to death. I'm scared to death right now to walk out there,'" Shelton explained. "And he goes, ‘What do you mean?’ And I go, 'I’ve just never been on TV, and I’ve got to sing.'"

"Even if you do great, this is the music industry," Cyrus curtly confessed. "Most of those people are gonna make fun of you and roll their eyes anyway, man. This is the music industry. You need to toughen up a little bit. Man, people make fun of you."

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"I remember that was his pep talk to me," The Voice's former judge shared, prompting Kimmel to ask with a laugh: "That was his pep talk?"

Shelton expressed: "He probably doesn’t remember that, but I’m telling you, as a young 23-year-old kid or whatever I was, I was like, 'Oh my god, you’re right.'"

Continuing to crack jokes on the matter, Kimmel said the advice was certainly true for Cyrus, teasing that anyone that has a mullet and uses the words "Achy and Breaky" in the title of a song is going to get made fun of for it.

"Billy had had a rough stretch at that point," Shelton quipped, agreeing with Kimmel.

Shelton said he'd repay the gesture to another young performer some day, but only if "I think they're going to do really good." He added, "I will. Like, I'll ride the wave if it's going good."