Apple TV+'s 'My Kind of Country' Crowns First Winner: 'I Still Haven't Processed It' (Exclusive)

Watch out Nashville — there are new boots in town.

Micaela Kleinsmith, who hails from Cape Town, South Africa, was named the winner of Apple TV+'s My Kind of Country series during the finale on Friday, and she and her mentor, Orville Peck, exclusively sat down with PEOPLE to celebrate her triumphant victory.

"I feel like that entire finale was a blur for me. I completely blanked out, even during the performance," Kleinsmith says. "I felt like I was taken to a different place while I was performing. But I was very shocked. I will say that much. I was incredibly shocked. I was so ready for them to say anybody else's name."

My Kind of Country, which was executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves, set out with a mission to diversify the country music space and give talented artists from all over the world a platform to showcase their talents.

The three trailblazing "scouts" in charge of finding and mentoring the artists throughout the show embody that notion themselves: Mickey Guyton, Jimmie Allen and Peck.

"From the moment I met Micaela, I knew really, truly, genuinely, that Micaela was definitely going to the finale because I think there's something very beautifully authentic about her," Peck says. "All of us, the scouts, we just became completely blown away by her talent."

For Peck, watching Kleinsmith's self-confidence grow over the course of filming felt profound, especially because Kleinsmith herself says that was something she "really battled with."

"Seeing the progression each week, each episode, of Micaela gaining more confidence and showing us all these different sides to her? I remember at my workshop when Micaela did her original song, I knew then. I was like, 'Well, this is someone so special.' It really was undeniable at that point," Peck recalls.

Coincidentally, both Kleinsmith and Peck are natives of South Africa, and Peck felt that connection, too, from the start.

"I remember when I watched Micaela's audition tape, I was almost crying. I was watching it with some producers from the show. Not that it was a sad audition, but I was so touched and moved because being from South Africa, it was like, 'Oh, I know this girl. I know exactly where she's from,'" he says.

"It's like when a friend of yours shows you a song or art or something and it's good. So you're relieved because you don't have to lie. It was the same sort of feeling where it's like, I already love Micaela because of that connection, but she's also so talented. So it was a win-win!" he quips.

For Kleinsmith, who grew up with a diverse array of musical inspirations — everyone from Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain to Pink and Adele — she says South Africa reflects a diversity equally as rich as her influences.

"There were so many South African artists [on the show], but all of us were so different. The languages we speak, the cultures we come from — and we all come from one small little country on a huge continent," she explains. "So, it's very diverse in culture, and I don't think people quite understand how diverse it actually is."

With My Kind of Country now serving as her launching pad, the world of country music is Kleinsmith's for the taking. She says she's most looking forward to performing the new songs she's recorded for her upcoming EP.

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And, while Kleinsmith is keeping mum on whether the original song she performed in the finale, titled "Stupid Love," will be part of the project ("I can't give too many spoilers!" she says with a laugh) she promises that audiences won't have to wait "too long" to get their hands (and ears) on her music.

"It's coming out soon. I'm so excited," she says. "You don't even understand."