Lainey Wilson is heading into tonight’s ACM Awards with an impressive five nominations, including one for Entertainer of the Year. The Louisiana native considers her ACM nomination for the night’s highest honor even more proof that her hard work is, finally, paying off.
“Just to be nominated, it means that we have been busting our tail,” Wilson tells Country Now. “I just think of all the blood, sweat and tears and everything that has gone into this. I’ve been in Nashville for 13 years and even though it seems like the last year has been the pinnacle for me, there’s still a lot of time and sacrifices that you have to make, just like anything in life.”
Ahead of the ACM Awards, Wilson shared with the Academy of Country Music what inspired the name of her new Whirlwind album, out on August 23.
“The word that I keep using to describe what these past few years have been like is ‘whirlwind,'” Wilson explains. “It has been a crazy ride. I feel like, I’ve been in Nashville for 13 years, and the last three — the ten before that prepared me for the last three, I guess you could say. It’s fast-paced, it keeps you on your toes, but it’s fun.”
Wilson is already the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, a win that she doesn’t take lightly.
“It was huge that the people I look up to and respect voted for me,” Wilson shared with Everything Nash and other outlets at a recent media event. “It’s really cool to be recognized. And the truth is, I’ve been working on my relationships in this town for 13 years, ’cause I knew at the end of the day, I could be a decent singer, and be a decent songwriter. But if I was a good person, people would remember that more than they would remember my songs.
“And I think in situations like that, that has come in handy,” she continued. “I will say, now that we won, I’m not the type of person that’s like, ‘All right, we did it. That’s it. We’ve just won the biggest award you can possibly win.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, well, they crowned me Entertainer of the Year, so it’s about time that I show them that I am,’ for the ones who thought that I deserved it, and for the ones that didn’t. That’s just who I am, and part of my DNA too.”
Wilson just announced “Hang Tight Honey” as her new single. The song follows her seventh consecutive No. 1 hit, with “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.”
In addition to new music, Wilson is also putting the finishing touches on her new Bell Bottoms Up Bar, slated to open this summer.
“I’ve always wanted to create a destination for all my fans to visit and create new memories at, in the heart of country music city,” she said when announcing its opening. “So, to have a permanent destination in Nashville, is such a dream come true. I can’t wait for all my Wild Horses to get to experience my home away from home.”
The ACM Awards will air live on Thursday, May 16, from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The ceremony will stream live exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. More information is available at ACMCountry.com.
Wilson, who joins Keith Urban on the just-released “Go Home W U,” will spend part of the year headlining her own Country’s Cool Again Tour. Find all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows at LaineyWilson.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the ACM / Gilbert Flores