Lainey Wilson: Why She’ll Be One Of Country’s Most Enduring Artists
I’ve been a Nashville music journalist for almost 30 years now, and I have seen big stars come and go. I was there front and center to watch Taylor Swift’s rise to world domination. I also saw the rise of Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, and Miranda Lambert, I watched their respective ascents to stardom. Today, they are all country music queens. Their music will transcend their eras; they are legends in the truest sense of the word. And I believe Lainey Wilson is in their league.
As I have watched in the last couple of years as Lainey Wilson has catapulted to country music superstardom, I see something in her that only comes around once in a while, like Dolly Parton or Reba McEntire. I will admit I didn’t see it at first when I was conducting phone interviews with Wilson in 2020. I thought she was good, but I don’t think that I predicted that she would be a superstar at the time.
I recall when she won her first two big CMA Awards in 2022, including the coveted Female Vocalist, which some ladies work their whole lives for and never win. I was the first person to ask her a question backstage minutes after her win, and I asked how it felt to get such a big honor so early in her career. I was expecting her to gush how lucky she was, and she said that she knew it was coming and that she knew she would win. Her answer set me aback a bit. I wondered, “Is Lainey that vain?” It didn’t take me long to realize that her success in country music was something she knew was coming since she was young. The answer wasn’t vain at all, just honest. She had earned this.
RELATED: Lainey Wilson Releases Two Music Videos in A Week
I have watched Wilson work harder than anyone else that I’ve seen in the business. She’s learning from the best, having spent some time with Dolly in her Dollywood dressing room in 2023, getting advice from the queen herself. Lainey seems to be taking that advice to heart, as well as the advice she got from Reba to stay true to herself at CMA Fest in 2023.
Through my time talking with Parton over the years, the one thing she stressed more than anything is hard work and to keep working to be where you want to be in your career. That’s surely something that she’s told Lainey. The younger singer has obviously taken that to heart.
One thing I have noticed that happens pretty quickly when an artist like Lainey takes the lead in country music is they tend to do fewer interviews and say “no” to a few more things. Not Wilson: she still talks to everyone; she doesn’t blow off people who were there for her in the beginning. Sure, she knows that her talent and her music are why she’s a star. But she also knows that there’s a lot of other work involved, beyond making records and playing shows. She has never let up on doing that work. She is tireless.
Her music has been spot-on since she released her Album of the Year winner for both the CMA and ACM, Bell Bottom Country. It’s a classic album – and classic albums aren’t just about the singles. The deeper cuts are as great as the songs that you hear on the radio. Wilson’s music feels so specific to her. Whether she’s singing about trucks or paying tribute to Dolly on “What Would Dolly Do,” it’s hard to imagine any other singer doing these tunes. And there are her haunting vocals and acting skills in the song and music video “Wait In The Truck,” her award-winning duet with HARDY. And somehow, adding her vocals to Jelly Roll’s “Save Me” made it an even better song, though it didn’t seem it could get better.
Her new album Whirlwind (out 8/23) has some amazing songs; it looks like she has a third classic album. She teased a few of the new songs on award shows and even released a two-part music video for the new songs “4x4xu” and “Hang Tight Honey.” The latter is a song she sang at the beginning of the ACM Awards in May that sounded like a natural show opener and was one of the best performances of the night.
There’s something else Wilson has in common with Reba and Dolly: her acting skills, which she flexed on her first acting gig ever, the TV show Yellowstone. She’s a natural actor and I have a feeling this won’t be her last acting gig; she’s bound to do more. Like Dolly and Reba, she has natural talent and her charisma is undeniable.
Lainey’s style is like no one else before her. At a recent press meeting, one reporter told her: “Whoever your stylist is, they should be getting a raise.” Wilson laughed and agreed. She makes a new statement for each red carpet appearance with her suits, bell bottoms, and matching cowboy hats. It’s interesting that more and more female country stars are donning the cowboy hat, as are fans, and it’s a trend Wilson helped usher in. It reminds me of early 2007 when all the young girls were wearing sundresses and cowboy boots because of Taylor Swift.
Also, like Parton and McEntire, Wilson is a true professional who makes sure to treat those around her with respect and dignity, no matter what their role in life may be. She was raised right, and it shows.
Welcome to Country Music royalty, Lainey. May your reign be long and glorious.
