Grammy-winning country musician Lainey Wilson gained popularity with her 2022 album Bell Bottom Country and by her music being included on the television series Yellowstone.
On May 21, country singer Lainey Wilson appeared on The Voice’s season finale, and one of her musical heroes gave her a very big surprise. Wilson accepted the invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry as an official member from country music legend Reba McEntire, a celebrity coach on the NBC singing competition.
McEntire said to the “Watermelon Moonshine” singer, “I have heard that I have inspired you and what you have done so far, and I am thrilled to death if I have had anything to do with your career because you are blowing it up.” “I couldn’t be more proud to be the one who supports you in continuing to close the generational divide—I was so proud of you at the ACMs the other night… I would like to extend an official invitation to you to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
According to People, Wilson was also given a commemorative “Opry Lainey 2024” belt buckle by McEntire. “That’s a birthday present right there!” said Wilson, who turned 32 on May 19, in a clearly emotional statement.
Whirlwind, Wilson’s latest album, is set to release on August 23. Wilson won Entertainer of the Year at the ACMs earlier this month. Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country, a new documentary about the Grammy winner, will debut on Hulu on May 29.
Who Is Lainey Wilson?
Grammy-winning country music singer and songwriter Lainey Wilson is well-known for her hits, which include “Heart Like a Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine,” and “Things a Man Oughta Know.” At the age of 19, Wilson—who was originally from Louisiana—moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with the goal of becoming a country music star. However, she battled for years to find success because many executives thought her musical style didn’t fit the contemporary genre. This view didn’t start to shift and Wilson didn’t become well-known until her songs began to appear on the hit television show Yellowstone in 2019. At the 2023 CMA Awards, she was the artist with the most nominations, taking home five wins, including Entertainer of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year.
Lainey Wilson is from where?
Born on May 19, 1992, Lainey Denay Wilson grew up in the little town of Baskin, Louisiana, which has a population of less than 300. Her mother is a schoolteacher named Michelle Wilson, and her father is a fifth-generation farmer named Brian Wilson. Janna is the older sister of Lainey.
Her parents had a big impact on her fashion and music tastes even at a young age. At the family’s kitchen table, her father would play the guitar while Janna and Lainey would make up dance moves to go along with his tunes. Buck Owens and Glen Campbell, who Brian used to pretend to be as a child by standing on a picnic table and playing his guitar for passing cars, were two musicians that greatly influenced Brian. Lainey was a big fan of Dolly Parton too. Eventually, in 2021, she honored the renowned vocalist with the tune “WWDD,” which stands for “What Would Dolly Do?”
In a similar vein, Michelle influenced her daughter’s sense of style. When Lainey was a little child, her mother gave her a pair of bell bottoms, which are now an essential component of her stage wardrobe. Regarding the blue pants with the leopard print, Lainey told Billboard that “at one point, [my mother] was like, ‘You have to take them off, we have to wash them.” “I’ve always had a deep affection for retro-inspired media, including stories and music.”
Lainey took part in extracurricular activities such as basketball and cheerleading, but her favorite activity was music. She wrote her first song at the age of nine, and at eleven, she began playing the guitar, drawing inspiration from pop singer and fellow Louisianan Britney Spears. To be honest, I knew at the age of nine that this was something I would do. She said to Holler in 2021, “I knew it would be a journey, but I didn’t know how I was going to do it.”
Wilson got her first taste of performing while still in middle and high school, when she would pretend to be Miley Cyrus’s popular Disney Channel character Hannah Montana at public gatherings like birthday parties and nursing homes. In addition, she started a cover band, the Cadillac Kings, which performed at nightclubs and pubs even though its members were minors.
August 2011 saw 19-year-old Lainey go to Nashville, Tennessee, after graduating from high school with the intention of pursuing a career in country music.
Early Career Struggles
Wilson’s first attempt at breaking into the industry wasn’t too successful, despite her confidence. After moving, the singer lived simply for three years in a camper trailer she parked in front of a recording studio owned by a family acquaintance who owed her grandfather a favor. In order to stay warm during the winter, she frequently slept with three pairs of socks and various jackets, as she revealed to Good Morning America in November 2022. She also had to ask her neighbor for electricity, water, and internet access.
She distributed CDs and samples as she strolled around Nashville’s Music Row, hoping to find a chance to launch her career. With her twangy voice and highly personal songwriting, Wilson was viewed by music execs as “too country for country,” in contrast to the pop-infused hits that were topping the genre. She told People, “I had a lot of people slam the door in my face.” “There were definitely times when I should have packed up and gone home—there were some difficult moments and days.”
She persisted nonetheless, not willing to give up. 2014 saw Wilson’s self-titled debut album released. After listening to Wilson’s song “Dreamcatcher,” Mandelyn Monchick, who was certain Wilson had “next level” talent, hired her as a manager a year later, according to The Washington Post. With the release of her second album, Tougher, in 2016, Wilson had her first chart success. The album peaked at a respectable No. 44 on Billboard’s list of Top Country Albums.
In 2018, Wilson signed with Broken Bow Records and secured a publishing contract. Wilson was still not a well-known figure in the country music world. To begin to change that, a new TV show would need to help.
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