Leaving no political stone unturned, newly-declared presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) had a very particular answer on Tuesday when asked about his taste in music.

“You know, music is interesting,” he said on CBS “This Morning.” “I grew up listening to classic rock, and I’ll tell you sort of an odd story.”

“My music taste changed on 9/11,” he said, followed by a pause.

Co-host Gayle King nodded.

“I actually intellectually find this very curious, but on 9/11, I didn’t like how rock music responded,” the senator went on. “And country music, collectively, the way they responded, it resonated with me.”

Cruz did not specify which rock artists “responded” to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in a way that led him to switch genres. But he repeated that he’s been firmly country ever since.

“I had an emotional reaction that said, ‘these are my people.’ So ever since 2001 I listen to country music,” he concluded.

Watch the clip, courtesy of CBS: