Lainey Wilson is the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year. The singer-songwriter, who won in the same category at the CMA Awards last fall, also won Female Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year, the latter for her “Save Me” collaboration with Jelly Roll.
“These past few years for us has just been a complete whirlwind,” an emotional Wilson said from stage. I”‘ve been in Nashville for 13 years, doing this. First of all, I just want to say thank you so much, Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you to my team, who fights for me every single day, who work so hard. My band, they show up. WME for booking me, every time, everywhere.”
Wilson also touched on her upbringing in rural Baskin, Louisiana, and how that influenced the superstar career she has now.
Thanks for keeping us entertained all year long, @laineywilson #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/qfogl9aXXL
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) May 17, 2024
“I remember being a little girl, and I would climb out on the top of my roof,” Wilson recalled. “I’d open my window and climb out, and I would count all the stars, and I would look up, and I’d see the planes flying over my little town of 200 people. I’d dream about being up there in one of those planes. It’s so crazy, because this year, we have already toured the UK, Europe and Australia, and we’re about to start our American leg.
“The funny thing is, I still feel like that little girl,” she continued. “I really do. I feel like I still climb out on the roof and I look at the stars, except I feel like I’m a little more eye-level with them now. Everybody in this category has loved on me and believed in me, took me out on the road, sang songs with me, wrote with me and encouraged me every step of the way. And I love you all for that. I have the best fans in the world. Thank you all so much. God bless you all.”
Wilson was also in awe when she won the Female Artist of the Year, especially since it was the show’s host, Reba McEntire, who gave it to her.
“Reba McEntire just gave me this thing,” Wilson gushed. “Speaking of Reba McEntire, I just want to take a minute, and I just want to talk about the women in country music. A lot of the women who were in this category specifically are some of my best friends, and people who have helped pull me over that wall. And there are so many women in country music who have guided me without even knowing it, before I ever even got the chance to shake their hand and get to know them, they have taught me so much.”
Wilson just dropped “Hang Tight Honey” as the first single from her Whirlwind album, out on August 23. She 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.