Lainey Wilson received a lot of help from other female artists as her career in country music was beginning, and now she is extending that help to others as well. The Grand Ole Opry member vows to do all she can for other aspiring female artists, who find themselves in the same position that she once was in.
“That’s all I ever wanted was to do what people did for me,” Wilson says (via WKML). “It does feel good to know that now, just even speaking on somebody’s behalf could make a big difference.”
“A lot of my friends in this town, I have a lot of really incredibly talented female friends in this town who have been at it a long time,” she adds. “And they’re the kind of girls, too, who ain’t giving up. I surround myself with those kinds of people.”
For Wilson, it’s the biggest accomplishment to know that she can now be a voice for others, even as she continues her reign as a country music superstar.
“It’s good to know that I can speak on their behalf or maybe make a phone call or just sing their praises, because that’s what has helped me more than anything,” Wilson says. “When somebody just says your name to somebody else and says, ‘She’s hard-working,’ or ‘She’s kind,’ or ‘She’s talented.’ To me, that goes more than a lot of other things.”
Wilson has had more success in the last few years than some artists have over the span of their career. While it may seem to some like she was an overnight success story, in reality, it took her a long time to achieve the superstar career she now enjoys. Wilson lived in a camper trailer for three years while trying desperately to get her music heard.
“Those lonely nights in my camper trailer out in West Nashville, I was envisioning myself being here,” Wilson said backstage at the CMA Awards, where she won five trophies, including Entertainer of the Year. “I was waiting outside of the Bridgestone to get a little wristband, so I could maybe be down in the pit, and just feel like I was a part of this industry. I knew it. I knew it with every fiber of my being, and that sounds wild, but it’s true.
“And I think a lot of people around me, my mom and my daddy especially, they knew it too,” she added. “And I’ve always had kind of a weird sense of peace about it. But I do feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
The tenacious singer had no idea it would take her so long, but she insists it was more than worth the wait.
“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,” the 32-year-old said on the Today Show. “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 is part of a new song, out now, with one of her own musical mentors. Miranda Lambert. The two just released “Good Horses,” part of Wilson’s forthcoming Whirlwind album, out on August 23.
“I am so excited for everyone to finally be able to have their hands on this song,” Wilson said when “Good Horses” was released. “Writing with Miranda and Luke [Dick] feels like home, and I will forever cherish the day we wrote this song. ‘Good Horses’ is all about finding your way back home, no matter where you are.”
Find all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows, and pre-order Whirlwind, at LaineyWilson.com.