Lainey Wilson Says She Lives by This Heartwarming Advice from Ashley McBryde.
Lainey Wilson Opens Up on Keeping Her Chill During a ‘Whirlwind’ Year
The country music star talks about new music, acting, and wedding plans in this exclusive interview.
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When Lainey Wilson named her album Whirlwind, it’s hard to imagine that she could’ve predicted that her life would become just that. But in the eight months since its release, she’s seen her fair share of awards shows, an international tour, a new acting role, and an engagement, just to name a few of her recent milestones. We caught up with Lainey, who is taking it all in bell bottom-clad stride, to reflect on her recent accomplishments and discuss what’s next.
Lainey’s New Music
Lainey followed up “4x4U” with the more introspective single “Somewhere Over Laredo,” which she performed in an all-white ensemble with a flowy train at the American Music Awards. Her look had her fiancé Devlin “Duck” Hodges leaving the coy comment, “You In white got me excited” But the song has a special place in Lainey’s heart.
She explained, “I spend a lot of my time in the air on a flight—headed to the next town, to the next show, and I catch myself kind of getting emo a little, looking out the window and dreaming and thinking and talking to God and reminiscing. I feel like this song right here, it gave me an opportunity to kind of step back into a pair of shoes that I wore a long time ago, and that’s what country music is. It takes you to a certain time and place and memory, and that’s what writing this song did for me. It’s cool to be able to have an interpretation of ‘Somewhere of the Rainbow.’ That’s such a classic, beautiful song, and for us to be able to kind of tip our hat to that too.”
On Teaming Up with a Favorite Brand
Lainey has a partnership with Coors Light that extends from her appearance in a Super Bowl Commercial to support of her headlining tour. Through May 30, she’s joining in on their Chill on Shuffle campaign—fans are invited to search “Coors Light on Shuffle” on Instacart for a chance to win exclusive prizes like concert tickets, signed vinyls, and custom merch tied to Lainey, plus Shaboozey, Yandel, and Mt. Joy. (Find all of the details here.)
The 33-year-old is particular about the brands she partners with, but Coors Light was a natural fit for the Louisiana native. She said, “I feel like Coors Light is just like another member of my family, you have those certain brands that you think of when you think of growing up and everything, it just felt like a natural fit and I’m proud to be a part of the Coors Light family in more ways than one.”
She continued, “I’m proud that they are coming on this whirlwind world tour with us. They’re gonna be bringing moments of chill to all these country music fans. I feel like no matter where I’m at in the world, I can crack me a Coors Light, and I feel like I’m at home. That’s important for me, when I’m working with brands. It’s something I don’t take very lightly and it just felt like a natural fit.”
On the Road (Again)
The “Watermelon Moonshine” singer has some special guests along for the ride on her tour, including Muscadine Bloodline, ERNEST, Zach Meadows, Lauren Watkins, Maddox Batson, Drake Milligan, and Kaitlin Butts. And she loves introducing her fans to artists who might be new to them.
She said, “It is awesome. Ashley McBryde a long time ago told me that we got to help pull each other over that wall, whatever that looks like. And she said, ‘If I can grab your hand and I help pull you over this wall, you got to promise me that you do the same for other people.’ And I said, ‘Deal.’ That’s how I was raised anyway, you know, when I think of the way that my parents treated people, if there was a farmer down the road that got stuck in a ditch, my parents are the first ones to them to go pull them out. This is a team effort, and there’s room for everybody. It’s cool to be able to lock arms and do the thing together.”
Heading to the Big Screen
Lainey is set to make her film debut alongside Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford in Reminders of Him, a 2026 movie based on a Colleen Hoover novel. She said, “After Yellowstone, after I played a musician role, I told my manager, ‘The next thing I want to do is something where I step outside of that. And this was the first opportunity that had presented itself to us and that felt great. For the very first time, I’m playing a character that’s not a musician. It’s cool for me to be able to step into other people’s shoes and write from their perspective, so this gave me an opportunity to step into a pair of shoes and act from a different point of view. It was fun. It just gave me a creative outlet and I really enjoyed it and we’ll see what else happens, but I can see myself doing more of it for sure.”
What’s Next for Lainey
It should come as no surprise that the Grammy winner shows no signs of slowing down. Her tour is packed with dates through November, and she’s working on new music—always. She said, “Before Whirlwind was even out, I was already working on that next batch. So, we’ve got a deluxe coming [in August], but other than that, I’m working on the next full thing too. I always got those creative wheels turning, and that’s the way I like it. I like to stay creative because I feel like when I’m not, I’m just not myself.”
After her February engagement, fans are eagerly awaiting wedding news (on one of her recent Instagram posts, a commenter wrote, “I am READY for the @laineywilson wedding fashion!”), but Lainey is taking her time. She said, “[Duck] is gonna kill me, but I told I’m gonna make him wait. He made me wait for 4 years. I’m gonna make him wait before we start planning this thing. We hadn’t really covered any ground on it just yet, but we’re taking our time and it’s gonna be right and it’s gonna be beautiful and, you know, what it’s supposed to be about.”
We just know it will be worth the wait.
