Lainey Wilson knows how to overcome a broken heart. The Louisiana native learned early in her career that life doesn’t always work out as she planned, creating a resilience and tenacity in her she likely otherwise would not have had.
In a recent conversation on Artist Friendly with Joel Madden, Wilson remembers a specific time in her life when everything seemed to be going wrong, including the loss of Jerry Cupit, a songwriter who allowed her to park her camper on his property while she was getting her career started. He also ran a small label, which is what Wilson released her eponymous debut record on in 2014. Cupit passed away one month after the project was released.
“That was definitely a dark time in my life because when you write 300 plus songs with somebody, you become really close,” Wilson recalls (via American Songwriter). Unfortunately, at the same time, Wilson was also dealt another heartbreaking blow, this one in her personal life
“During that time, too, I was dating a boy who got a girl pregnant … It was all happening at the same time,” Wilson remembers.. “I was like, when it rains it pours. I’m telling you, I learned how to just embrace the heartbreak. I’m just like, ‘Is this happening to me? Like, am I getting punked? Is it happening just so I can have something to write about?’ Now, I’m learning how to adjust with my life changing. It is a lot of pressure.”’
Wilson had an unprecedented 2024, which included headlining her own tours, numerous hit singles at radio, opening her own Bell Bottoms Up Bar, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry, winning several awards, releasing her third album, Whirlwind, and co-hosting the CMA Awards. But according to Wilson, 2025 is going to be even busier.
“We’re gonna be touring,” Wilson tells Variety. “We’re in the weeds of figuring all that out right now. But it’s fun. As our team grows and as the career grows and everything, with more people having their hands on things, it’s starting to really start to run like a well-oiled machine. And, because it happened so fast, it was just like, ‘Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.’ But all of a sudden we’ve got lots of new team members, and I feel like now we’re kind of starting to get into the groove of it. So we’re just gonna be touring a lot, and hopefully filming some more stuff. We’ll see what that looks like. Just being creative — that’s what I want to do.”
Fortunately, Wilson moved past the early heartache, and found true love with her longtime boyfriend, Devlin “Duck” Hodges. Because of Hodges, Wilson was finally able to write love songs, including her current hit single, “4X4XU.”
“That’s where I am in my life right now,” the 32-year-old says. “I’m in a happy, healthy relationship. And especially during this time of my life where it’s constantly changing, I’m really keeping my people close — the people who remind me who I am and the ones who remind me where I come from and encourage me to stay true to myself. That’s really important to me right now.”
Wilson will perform as part of New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, along with headliners Keith Urban Jelly Roll and Kane Brown, plus a star-studded lineup that includes Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Tyler Hubbard, Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Shaboozey, Zach Top and Brittney Spencer. The show will air on CBS on December 31, from 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET and 10:30 PM to 1:30 AM ET, and stream on Paramount+.
Find all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows at LaineyWilson.com.
Photo Credit: Brian Bowen Smith