Lainey Wilson‘s biggest dreams didn’t necessarily include where she is right now. The new Grand Ole Opry member knew from an early age — ever since she first visited Nashville when she was just nine years old — that she wanted to have a career in country music. The path to get there, however, was unexpectedly long, and one that required plenty of patience and tenacity.
It was “Things a Man Oughta Know,” released in 2020, which became Wilson’s first No. 1 hit, and set of a string of successes that includes No. 1 singles, multiple awards, major tours and more.
“These past few years have been wild,” Wilson admits on the Today Show. “Just trying to keep one foot on the ground, trying to keep my eye on the prize, and make sure that I keep showing up to do what I said I was going to do.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the CMA
Wilson will release her new album, Whirlwind, on August 23. The record includes her current Top 20 single, “Hang Tight Honey,” and the new track, “4X4XU,” out on July 4.
“I felt like I wanted to share a part of me that I didn’t even know existed,” Wilson explains. “I wanted to find that. And I think these last couple of years, because it has been a constant leveling up, I cannot let go of who I am at my core, because the music’s not going to be the same. So for me, when I was writing this record, I was making dang sure that both of my feet were planted on the ground.”
In a now-famous story, Wilson moved from Baskin, Louisiana (population: 200), to live in a camper trailer in Nashville, with big dreams in her heart and stars in her eyes. Wilson was, fortunately, unaware at the time that she was still a decade away from having any kind of mark in country music. The 32-year-old now knows it was the support of those who believed in her and her talent that made her keep moving forward, albeit at a much slower pace than she intended.
“When I first got there in my camper, I didn’t know it was going to take another ten, 11 years to crack the egg a little bit…I think it was having a few believers,” Wilson says as the secret to her success. “I think God laid it on my heart a long time ago. I think it was from being from a bunch of hard-headed folks. You’ve gotta be a little bit nuts to want to do this. You do.”
Wilson has been open about the journey that she illustrates on Whirlwind, inviting fans to join her in her continuing journey.
Writing & recording these 14 songs over the past couple of years has helped me stay grounded in ways you’d never believe. This album brought me back to my roots and made me feel at home during times when I couldn’t have been further away and my biggest hope is that it gives you… pic.twitter.com/YUtyNrBAI7
— Lainey Wilson (@laineywilson) June 25, 2024
“Writing and recording these 14 songs over the past couple of years has helped me stay grounded in ways you’d never believe,” Wilson shares on social media. “This album brought me back to my roots and made me feel at home during times when I couldn’t have been further away and my biggest hope is that it gives you that same sense of comfort that it has for me.”
.Wilson will spend part of the year headlining her own Country’s Cool Again Tour. Pre-order/pre-save Whirlwind, and find all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows at LaineyWilson.com.
Read ‘Lainey Wilson: 11 Things to Know About Her Extraordinary Life and Career’ here.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC/Nathan Congleton
