Lainey Denay Wilson (born May 19, 1992) is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer-songwriter. She performed at an early age, before going to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

to pursue a career as a country performer. In 2014, she released her first album on Cupit, followed by a second on Lone Chief in 2016. Wilson secured a publishing deal and later released an

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) in 2019 which included the song " Things a Man Oughta Know". In 2020, it was issued as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

through the

BBR Music Group BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. C ...

and eventually reached number one on the American country songs chart. Wilson has received nine

Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

, including winning their top honor

Entertainer of the Year ''Entertainer of the Year'' is the twenty-second solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on February 26, 1973, by MCA Records. This was Lynn's first album with MCA following Decca's consolidati ...

in 2023. She has also received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

and sixteen

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

Early life

Lainey Wilson was raised in

Baskin, Louisiana Baskin is a village in Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 210 at the 2020 census, up from 188 in 2000. Baskin is located north of the parish seat of Winnsboro. History Baskin was named in honor of Dr. Adolphus McDuf ...

, a town of 250 people. Her father, Brian, was a farmer while her mother, Michelle, was a schoolteacher. She also has a sister, Janna. She became interested in music at a young age. Her family often listened to classic country music by

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the ''Billboard'' country music chart. He pioneered what came ...

and

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

. "Country music for me and my family, it was more than music. We lived the words to those songs," she told ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'', a

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

newspaper. At age nine, she attended a performance of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

and was drawn to the music. "I just remember looking up there, being like, ‘Man, I wanna do that'," she recalled. Wilson's father taught her a couple of chords and she was soon writing songs by her pre-teen years. In 2006, she released an

(EP) on

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

titled ''Country Girls Rule''. In high school, Wilson took a job impersonating

Hannah Montana ''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll, and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cy ...

. Often booking her own shows, she performed as Hannah Montana at birthday parties, fairs, and festivals across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, even once performing for child cancer patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Career

2011–2018: Early years in Nashville and independent releases

Wilson graduated from high school and moved to Nashville in August 2011. She first lived in a camper trailer outside of a recording studio in Nashville. The studio owner paid for Wilson's water and electricity to help make ends meet. In 2021, Wilson said that her early years in Nashville were difficult: "It taught me that this thing was not going to be easy. It taught me perseverance." For several years, Wilson played a variety of small shows and worked on her songwriting. In 2014, she released a self-titled album on the Cupit label. It was followed in 2016 by '' Tougher'', on the Lone Chief label. The project garnered an audience and made the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

chart. In 2018, she released her second EP, a self-titled collection that was self-released. It led to her signing a publishing deal with

Sony/ATV Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American Music publisher (popular music), music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of en ...

in 2018. Also in 2018, she also signed a management deal.

2019–present: Breakout success with "Things a Man Oughta Know"

In 2018, Wilson signed a major-label recording contract with the

. Her first major-label release was her third EP ''

Redneck Hollywood ''Redneck Hollywood'' is an extended play (EP) by American country singer Lainey Wilson. It was released on September 13, 2019, via the BBR Music Group and contained four tracks. Two songs from the collection were spawned as singles: "Dirty Look ...

'' (2019). Her debut major label

was also released in 2019: "Dirty Looks". ''Off the Record UK'' praised the EP, highlighting Wilson's songwriting and the production from producer

Jay Joyce John Joseph "Jay" Joyce is an American record producer, songwriter and session musician. In the 1990s, Joyce, with Chris Feinstein and Brad Pemberton, recorded and toured as Iodine. He also fronted the band Bedlam, featured on the soundtrack to ...

. The publication said, "The EP is raw and real, pushing the country music genre wider than ever and bringing it back to the traditional while still reinventing it to its modern surroundings." Next she received attention from

Country Music Television Country Music Television, often abbreviated to CMT, is an American pay TV network that launched on March 5, 1983. It is currently owned by Paramount Global through the MTV Entertainment Group unit of its networks division. CMT was the first na ...

, who included her in their "Listen Up" Class of 2019 and on their "2019 CMT Next Women of Country" tour. She also toured with

Morgan Wallen Morgan Cole Wallen (born May 13, 1993) is an American country pop singer from Sneedville, Tennessee. He competed in the The Voice (American season 6), sixth season of ''The Voice (American TV series), The Voice''. After being eliminated in the ...

in 2019. During this same period, several of her songs were featured in the

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are located a ...

show ''

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

''. In August 2020, the BBR label issued Wilson's next single to radio: " Things a Man Oughta Know". The track gained heavy media attention from sites like

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

iHeart Radio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast, radio streaming and Music Streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. Founded in August 2008, iHeartRadio serves as the national umbrella brand for iHeartM ...

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

, and

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...

. By 2021, "Things a Man Oughta Know" became her breakout single, reaching number one on ''Billboard''

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...

and number three on

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

. It was included on her third studio album ''

Sayin' What I'm Thinkin' ''Sayin' What I'm Thinkin is the third studio album by American country music singer Lainey Wilson. It was released on February 19, 2021, by BBR Music Group. Produced by Jay Joyce, the album was Wilson's first album to be released on a Record labe ...

'' (2021). The disc was her first full-length album issued on BBR and contained 12 tracks. It was her second to reach the ''Billboard'' country albums chart, peaking at number 40. The disc received positive reviews. "Beyond writing and recording songs that satisfy country music fans, she succeeds at introducing her whole self through the music," concluded ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

s Billy Dukes. ''Entertainment Focus'' commented, "The rising star knocks it out of the park with her new album." Wilson appeared as a supporting act on

Jason Aldean Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...

's "Back in the Saddle Tour" in 2021. The same year, Wilson collaborated with

Cole Swindell Colden Rainey Swindell (born June 30, 1983) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has written singles for Craig Campbell (singer), Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan, and has released four albums for W ...

on his single "

Never Say Never Never Say Never may refer to: Music * Never Say Never Festival, an annual music festival in Texas, U.S. Albums * ''Never Say Never'' (Alias album), 2009 * ''Never Say Never'' (Brandy album), 1998 * ''Never Say Never'' (Ian McLagan album) ...

". The duet was released as the second single from Swindell's fourth studio album ''

Stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

'', and became Wilson's second single to top the ''Billboard'' country chart. It was followed by her 2022 solo single titled " Heart Like a Truck", then the album '' Bell Bottom Country.'' Wilson received a leading six nominations at the

56th Annual Country Music Association Awards The 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards was held on November 9, 2022 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Luke Bryan hosted the ceremony for the second time, with Peyton Manning as his co-host. The ceremony was broadcas ...

, becoming the fourth artist to receive six or more nominations as a first-time nominee. Wilson also joined the cast of ''

'' in 2022, with some of her songs also being featured in the series. She was a co-writer on the 2023 single "

Chasing Tornadoes "Chasing Tornadoes" is a song recorded by Canadian country music artist MacKenzie Porter. The song was written by fellow country artist Lainey Wilson, along with Emily Landis and Jamie Moore, while it produced by Joey Moi. It is the second singl ...

" by fellow country artist

MacKenzie Porter MacKenzie Lea Porter (born January 29, 1990) is a Canadian country singer, songwriter, and actress. She has released two albums (''MacKenzie Porter'' and '' Nobody's Born with a Broken Heart'') and achieved four Canada Country number ones with " ...

. Wilson received a leading nine nominations at the

57th Annual Country Music Association Awards The 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards were held on November 8, 2023, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony were hosted once again by Luke Bryan with Peyton Manning. The ceremony was broadcast live on ABC and i ...

in 2023, winning five including the top honor

. She was the first woman to win Entertainer of the Year since

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

in 2009. In 2024, she featured on

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban ( né Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves Int ...

's song " Go Home W U". On May 9, 2024, Wilson announced that her fifth album ''

Whirlwind A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...

'' was released on August 23, 2024. " Hang Tight Honey" was released as its lead single to country radio on May 20, 2024. In 2024, ''Whirlwind'' was nominated for

Grammy Award for Best Country Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music ge ...

at the

67th Annual Grammy Awards The 67th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from September 16, 2023, to August 30, 2024, as chosen by the members of the Recording Academy, on February 2, 2025. In its 22nd year at Crypto.com Arena in L ...

, to take place in 2025. Wilson's "Out of Oklahoma" won Best Music Video at the

15th Hollywood Music in Media Awards The 15th Hollywood Music in Media Awards recognized the best in music in film, TV, video games, commercials, and trailers of 2024. The ceremony was held on November 20, 2024, at The Avalon in Hollywood. The nominations were announced on Novembe ...

. In 2026, Wilson will make her feature film acting debut in ''

Reminders of Him ''Reminders of Him'' is upcoming American romantic drama film directed by Vanessa Caswill, from a screenplay by Colleen Hoover and Lauren Levine. It is based on the novel of the same name by Hoover. It stars Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy ...

'', a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name.

Influences

Wilson's musical style is rooted in country music, but also incorporates elements of

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...

, contemporary country, and classic country. In describing her music,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Mark Deming commented, "Wilson's voice is clear and strong, with an unapologetic Southern accent, and her songs are tough but heartfelt contemporary country with an edge that has its roots in vintage Southern rock and classic rock, as well as a dash of modern-day pop." In describing her own musical style, Wilson characterized it as "bell-bottom country", which ''

'' called "a cross between easy listening and hard truths." Wilson has been heavily influenced by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

, paying tribute to her in the self-composed track "WWDD" (What Would Dolly Do). Wilson credits

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack (; born August 19, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. She has charted 23 times on the American ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts; her highest peaking single there is her crossover signature song, " I Hope You Dance" ...

as an influence on her career and music.

Personal life

In 2022, Wilson's father, Brian Wilson, experienced severe health issues including a stroke and a fungal infection which resulted in the removal of his left eye. This all occurred while she was filming her first season on ''Yellowstone''. Wanting to be closer to him, she considered quitting the show. However, her father encouraged her to continue filming regardless of his health outlook. He eventually recovered and was seen accompanying her on the red carpet at the 56th CMA Awards. In late 2022, Wilson became the subject of a viral trend that occurred on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, predominately on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. A video of her performing at a concert spread very quickly on the platform. As a result of the angle of the camera and the

leopard print Animal print is a clothing and fashion style in which the garment is made to resemble the pattern of the skin and fur, feathers or scales of animals such as a jaguar, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, tiger or cow Cattle ...

pants Wilson was wearing, users felt the video was very flattering to the size and shape of her

buttocks The buttocks (: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed of a lay ...

. The resulting trend saw users posting additional videos, pictures, and comments expressing admiration for Wilson's figure. For her part, Lainey acknowledged the trend and has largely responded to it with good humor. She made several jokes about it and also expressed hope that many people who only knew about her because of the posts would be inspired to listen to her music and become fans. In May 2023, Wilson was confirmed to be in a relationship with former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Devlin "Duck" Hodges. Wilson later revealed in an interview with ''

The Bobby Bones Show ''The Bobby Bones Show'' is an American, nationally syndicated country music radio show aired during the morning hours. The Bobby Bones Show, which originally aired from Austin, Texas, now broadcasts from studios at WSIX-FM in Nashville. Premie ...

'' that she and Hodges had been dating for over two years prior to the public knowing about it. Both Hodges and Wilson

support Support may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Supporting character * Support (art), a solid surface upon which a painting is executed Business and finance * Support (technical analysis) * Child support * Customer support * Income Su ...

the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, because Hodges used to play quarterback for them. In February 2025, Wilson and Hodges announced their engagement. On May 31, 2024, Wilson opened Bell Bottoms Up, a three-storey bar, Cajun restaurant and music venue in downtown Nashville.

Discography

Studio albums * ''Lainey Wilson'' (2014) * '' Tougher'' (2016) * ''

'' (2021) * '' Bell Bottom Country'' (2022) * ''

'' (2024)

Tours

Headlining *Country with a Flair Tour (2023) *Country's Cool Again Tour (2024) * Whirlwind World Tour (2025) Supporting *Back in the Saddle Tour (2021) *Beers on Me Tour (2022) *Ain't Always the Cowboy Tour (2022) *Dangerous Tour (2022) *

Luke Combs World Tour The Luke Combs World Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour by American country music artist Luke Combs and was in support of his fourth studio album ''Gettin' Old'' (2023). This was his first stadium and world tour. It began on March 25, 20 ...

(2023)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

! , - , rowspan="3", 2021 ,

CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The ceremony launched in 1967 as Music City News Awards; it is the oldest award show currently airing under Paramount Global. The ceremony ...

, Breakthrough Video of the Year – " Things a Man Oughta Know" , , align="center", , - , rowspan="2",

, New Female Artist of the Year , , align="center" rowspan="2", , - , Song of the Year – "Things a Man Oughta Know" , , - , rowspan="8", 2022 , rowspan="2", CMT Music Awards , CMT Digital – First Performance of the Year – "Things a Man Oughta Know" , , align="center" rowspan="2", , - , Video of the Year – "

" , , - , rowspan=6,

, Female Vocalist of the Year , , align="center" rowspan="6", , - , New Artist of the Year , , - , Album of the Year – ''

'' , , - , Song of the Year – " Things a Man Oughta Know" , , - , Musical Event of the Year – "

" , , - , Video of the Year – "

" , , - , rowspan="15", 2023 , rowspan="6", Academy of Country Music Awards , Album of the Year – '' Bell Bottom Country'' , , align="center" rowspan="6", , - , Female Artist of the Year , , - , Single of the Year – " Heart Like a Truck" , , - , Song of the Year – " Wait in the Truck" , , - , Musical Event of the Year – "Wait in the Truck" , , - , Visual Media of the Year – "Wait in the Truck" , , - , rowspan=9, Country Music Association Awards ,

, , align="center" rowspan="9", , - , Female Vocalist of the Year , , - , Album of the Year – ''Bell Bottom Country'' , , - , Song of the Year – "Heart Like a Truck" , , - , Single of the Year – "Heart Like a Truck" , , - , Single of the Year – "Wait in the Truck" , , - , Musical Event of the Year – "Wait in the Truck" , , - , Musical Event of the Year – " Save Me" , , - , Video of the Year – "Wait in the Truck" , , - , rowspan="2", 2024 , rowspan="2", 66th Grammy Awards , Best Country Duo/Group Performance – "Save Me" , , align="center" rowspan="3", , - , Best Country Album – ''Bell Bottom Country'' , , - , 2025 ,

67th Grammy Awards The 67th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from September 16, 2023, to August 30, 2024, as chosen by the members of the Recording Academy, on February 2, 2025. In its 22nd year at Crypto.com Arena in L ...

, Best Country Album – ''Whirlwind'' ,

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Lainey 1992 births 21st-century American women American country singer-songwriters American women country singers BBR Music Group artists Country musicians from Louisiana Grammy Award winners Living people People from Louisiana Singer-songwriters from Louisiana