Lainey Wilson is in love, and she is ready to share her relationship with the world. The 31-year-old confirmed her relationship with former NFL player, Devlin “Duck” Hodges, two years after they started dating, by walking the red carpet together at this year’s ACM Awards. Although Wilson was initially hesitant to go public with their romance, she now is ready to be open about her feelings for Hodges, especially in her music.
“I do feel like it’s going to show a different side of me,” Wilson tells Audacy‘s Katie & Company. “I am in love, which is weird for me. I’m actually able to write those kind of songs. I will say, I don’t think I will ever be the kind of love songwriter that’s going to be like mushy-gushy, pour my heart out to you. I think it’s going to be more like, I’m a strong woman, and I got a man who’s okay with it kind of thing. I’m excited to share this side of my life.”
Although Hodges is a professional athlete, not a musician, Wilson says there are a lot of similarities between the two, and their passion for their respective careers.
“He knows what it’s like to start from the ground up,” Wilson says. “He walked on, he tried out for the Steelers and made it. He knows what it’s like to have a dream at a very young age. He went to football camps, and anything he could be involved with, he did it. It was the same way for me. He had extremely supportive parents, me too. They kept us involved in whatever it was we were interested in, and they saw something in us that maybe we felt was deep down in us, but they helped us see those dreams through.
“And so, we understand each other,” she continues. “He knows how important this job is to me and this business and he knows I have worked my butt off to be here and ain’t nobody gonna stop me from doing what I need to do. He’s the kind of guy that will high-five you in the door and on the way out.”
Fortunately, the couple is accustomed to spending much of their relationship apart, which is a good thing since Wilson’s career is at an all-time high. The Louisiana native just celebrated her fifth consecutive No. 1 single, with “Watermelon Moonshine.” She also won three People’s Choice Country Awards, and is the most-nominated artist heading into the CMA Awards, with a total of nine nominations,
Wilson will headline Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash celebration, along with Thomas Rhett and Lynyrd Skynyrd. She will also serve as one of the openers for Morgan Wallen‘s 2024 One Night At A Time World Tour. Find all of Wilson’s music and tour dates at LaineyWilson.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gilbert Flores for PMC