Lainey Wilson’s New Album Explores Life and Love After a ‘Whirlwind’ Career

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s late July, and Lainey Wilson is in Iowa, cradling her French bulldog, Hippie, close to her chest. She’s on her tour bus, traversing the Midwest, another day in her jet-set lifestyle. Next month, she’ll release her fifth studio album, “Whirlwind,” marking a full decade since her debut record. Today, much like every other day, she’s focused on enjoying the journey.

“It’s been a journey,” Wilson reflects on her career. “I’ve been in Nashville for 13 years, and it feels like I got there yesterday, but also like I’ve been there my whole life.”

Wilson grew up on a farm in Baskin, Louisiana. As a teenager, she worked as a Hannah Montana impersonator. When she arrived in Nashville as a young adult, she lived in a camper trailer and performed at countless open mic nights, all in hopes of making it in Music City. Her big break came with her 2020 single, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” and her 2022 album, “Bell Bottom Country,” a blend of country rock that showcases her unique “country with a flare” attitude.

“I had always heard that Nashville was a 10-year town. And I believe ‘Things a Man Oughta Know’ went No. 1, like, 10 years and a day after being there,” she recalls. “I should have had moments where I should have packed it up and went home. I should have gone back to Louisiana. But I never had those feelings. I think there’s something really beautiful about being naive. And, since I was a little girl, I’ve always had stars in my eyes.”

These days, she’s a Grammy winner and the first woman to win entertainer of the year at the CMAs since Taylor Swift in 2011. She’s also taken home the same award from the Academy of Country Music, acted in the hit television show “Yellowstone,” and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in June.

“I was 9 years old when I went to the Opry for the first time. I remember who was playing. It was Little Jimmy Dickens, Bill Anderson, Crystal Gayle, Phil Vassar, and I remember where I was sitting. I remember looking at the circle on stage and thinking, ‘Man, I’m going to, I’m going to play there. I’m gonna do this,’ ” she recalls.

Becoming a member is the stuff dreams are made of, and naturally, it connects back to her upcoming album.

“The word that I could use to describe the last couple of years is whirlwind,” she says. “I feel like my life has changed a whole lot. But I still feel like the same old girl trying to keep one foot on the ground.”

“And so, I think it’s just about grasping onto those things that truly make me, me and the artist where I can tell stories to relate to folks.”

If Wilson’s life looks different now than it did a decade ago, years of hard work have honed her ability to translate the chaos of her life into relatable music. “Good Horses,” the lone collaboration on “Whirlwind,” features Miranda Lambert and was penned on Lambert’s farm. It’s an uplifting track about pursuing dreams and finding your way back home. Another track, “Hang Tight Honey,” is a tribute to those who work hard for their loved ones.

Wilson has leveled up on this record, taking writers on the road with her while she toured incessantly. This is evident in tracks like “Ring Finger,” a funky country-rock number with electro-spoken word, and “Country’s Cool Again,” a joyous homage to the genre and Western wear’s current cultural prominence.

“I think country music brings you home,” she says of its enduring appeal. “And everybody wants to feel at home.”

Here on the back of the bus, Wilson is far from home, as she often is. But the notion of home is ever-present in her mind, acting as a sanctuary within “Whirlwind.” And that’s something everyone can relate to.

“I hope it brings a little bit of peace to just everyday chaos, because we all deal with it,” she says of the album. “Everybody looks different, but we all put our britches on the same one leg at a time, you know?”

Source: AP News