‘Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone is Fun for Me’

“I’m here for a day then we’re back out, just coming here long enough to run a few errands and repack a bag,” Lainey Wilson shares in her distinctive Louisiana accent, during a rare day in Nashville. The singer-songwriter is preparing for a series of West Coast shows on her headlining Country’s Cool Again Tour. Despite her short time in Music City, she’ll also attend the ACM Honors and make a surprise stop at her Bell Bottoms Up Restaurant & Bar, which opened downtown earlier this year.

At the same time, the four-time Country Airplay chart-topper is gearing up for the release of her new studio album, fittingly titled “Whirlwind,” set to drop Friday (Aug. 23) via BBR Music Group/BMG.

This whirlwind of touring and recording has brought Wilson a string of accolades. In November, she became the first woman since Taylor Swift in 2011 to win the coveted CMA Entertainer of the Year honors. February saw her earn her first Grammy win with her 2022 album “Bell Bottom Country” taking Best Country Album. In May, she won Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards. Less than a month later, she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. On Wednesday (Aug. 21), she received the ACM’s Triple Crown Award and the Milestone Award.

Wilson’s journey has been hard-fought, starting in small-town Baskin, Louisiana. She moved to Nashville in 2011, living in a camper near Bellevue while chasing her musical dreams. Before signing with BBR Music Group/BMG in 2018, she released two independent projects. In 2021, her major-label breakthrough “Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin'” was released.

That same year, after nearly a decade in Nashville, she earned her first Country Airplay No. 1 with “Things a Man Oughta Know.” She has since enjoyed a steady stream of hits both solo and collaborative, including top 5 hits “Heart Like a Truck” and “Wait in the Truck” (with HARDY), her three-week solo chart-topper “Watermelon Moonshine,” and the two-week chart-toppers “Save Me” (with Jelly Roll) and “Never Say Never” (with Cole Swindell).

Writing for “Whirlwind” proved different from her previous projects. “I realized very quickly that as my career grows, a million other parts of this job exist that I just didn’t know about,” Wilson says. “For this, it had to be quality over quantity. I couldn’t write 200 songs to get to my 14 [on ‘Whirlwind’]. I had to map out what I want to share, where I want to get vulnerable, and really figure out the message I want to bring.”

The new album features some of Wilson’s usual collaborators, including Dallas Wilson and Trannie Anderson (collectively known as The Heart Wranglers), who co-wrote “Heart Like a Truck” and several songs on “Whirlwind.” She also brought in new writers like Aaron Raitiere and Jon Decious, who contributed to songs like “4x4xU” and “Ring Finger.”

“I knew they had this quirkiness to their writing that I wanted to tap into,” Wilson says. They aimed for a Jerry Reed feel on “Ring Finger.” “I wanted a song that showcased my speaking voice because a lot of people talk about my accent—whether they love it or hate it, they talk about it.”

“It’s fun for me to step out of my comfort zone and write from someone else’s perspective,” she continues. “But as I got deeper into the song, I realized maybe this is really me. I do have a bit of a crazy side and a little spunk, and I haven’t gotten to show that side of my personality as much as with ‘Ring Finger.'”

Despite her success with duets, “Whirlwind” features just one collaboration—with fellow singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert. The two, along with Luke Dick, wrote “Good Horses,” an ode to the lure of the road and the comforts of home, during a day at Lambert’s farm outside Nashville.

“Miranda said, ‘Come hang out and take a nap. Me and Brendan [McLoughlin, Lambert’s husband] will feed you and then maybe we can write a song.’ They made burgers and pasta, we had everything,” Wilson recalls. “I had this [song] idea for quite a while and a lot of people had passed us up on writing it. Looking back on it, I’m glad they did because it was supposed to be us who wrote it together.”

“As we were sitting on her balcony, three bluebirds flew up and landed,” Wilson adds. “Miranda and Luke were sitting right where those bluebirds had landed when they were writing [Lambert’s 2019 hit ‘Bluebird’].”

Lainey, who has become a mentor for rising female artists, says of Lambert, “She’s that girl in my life in the industry who calls and checks on me. It’s important to have women like that in your corner, not just in music but in life.”

Another standout on the album is “Whiskey Colored Crayon,” inspired by a word exercise from co-writer Josh Kerr. They crafted a story about how a young child’s innocent question about a whiskey-colored crayon sparked change in his father’s life.

“I come from a family of teachers,” Wilson says. “I see how much of a difference they make in kids’ lives. In country music, I think of sad stories and storytelling, but even when I’m telling a sad story, I can’t help but have some kind of triumph or resilience.”

Some songs lean into Wilson’s own life, from the title track to love songs inspired by her boyfriend, Devlin “Duck” Hodges. “It is really fun to sing about love when you mean it,” she says.

Wilson’s music career has also been elevated by her role as Abby on the hit series “Yellowstone.” This week, it was revealed she will be part of the upcoming season of “Yellowstone,” with the show’s second season half premiering Nov. 10.

“I’m so excited,” Wilson says about her upcoming work on the series. “We’re waiting to hear all the details about my involvement. But as soon as they let me know, I’m going to learn the lines and do my thing.”

Alongside “Yellowstone” and brand partnerships with companies like Kendra Scott, Wrangler, Charlie 1 Horse, and Stanley, Wilson notes, “I’m realizing other opportunities are coming that I never knew existed. There is so much I want to do—voiceover acting, a country cartoon, another acting role, or writing a full soundtrack.”

“There’s so much I want to do,” she concludes, “but as long as I can get up and do what I love every day, this ain’t a bad life to live.”

Having worked hard and achieved a lot over the past years, Wilson has allowed herself one splurge, though it’s practical. “I got me some land,” she says proudly. “I’m going to develop it here [near Nashville] soon and get it going. Eventually, I’ll build a barn and get some horses of my own up here. Those are the things my family taught me to be proud of—owning a piece of America.”

Source: Billboard