Lainey Wilson will perform “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” from her 2022 Bell Bottom Country album, at the upcoming CMA Awards. Wilson, who just celebrated her fifth consecutive No. 1 hit, with “Watermelon Moonshine,” is eager to show another facet of who she is as an artist with the live televised performance.
“I’m so excited to perform this song,” Wilson shared with Everything Nash and other outlets at a recent media event. “For me, I want to make sure that every televised performance that I do shows a different side of me. I don’t want it to be the same old thing every single time, because the truth is, if you do come to a live show, I do have a lot of different styles. I’ll be up there playing acoustic on one, and then I’m up there doing the stanky leg on the next one. That’s just how we do it.”
The 31-year-old especially likes “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” because it shows a side of her that is a nod to both her heritage and her formative years.
“This one definitely shows that western side,” Wilson explained. “It takes me back to my childhood. It takes me back to my roots. I come from a long line of hard-headed tough people, and people who blazed their own trails. I’m from five generations of farmers in northeast Louisiana, and I always compare farming to the music business. You get up every day, do the same thing. You have good years, you have bad years, but you just keep on blazing that trail. I think it’s just digging a little deeper into my story.”
Although Wilson doesn’t reveal too many details about her CMA Awards performance, she does hint that she will use some special effects to make the song come to life.
“It’s gonna be fiery,” Wildon teased. “It’s gonna be fun. There’s gonna be some magic in it, that I’m excited for you all to see with your own eyes.”
Wilson is the most-nominated artist heading into the CMA Awards, with nine nods. It’s a big leap for someone who used to save her money to buy a ticket and sit in the nosebleeds at the ceremony.
“This is year two of being nominated for anything for the CMAs. And we have the most nominations, which completely blows my mind, but nine is my lucky [number],” Wilson reflected while rehearsing at the CMA Awards. “Nine is the year that I wrote my first song, came to Nashville for the first time, got my first pair of bell bottoms, got my horse. So it’s looking pretty good. It’s feeling good. And I do feel like I’ve got a lot of love and support in this town, and I’m feeling supported.”
Wilson will spend much of 2024 on the road. She will headline both her global Lainey Wilson: LIVE Tour, heading to both Australia and Europe, and her Country’s Cool Again Tour, along with joining Morgan Wallen on his One Night At A Time World Tour. Find all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows at LaineyWilson.com.