Lainey Wilson will be in discussion, with a performace to follow, at the GRAMMY Museum on Sept. 5. Learn more about the event here.
If there's one word to describe Lainey Wilson's life in the past year, it's whirlwind — which is exactly how she chose the name of her third album.
Since releasing Bell Bottom Country in 2022, the Louisiana-bred singer has been on an unprecedented tear. Whether she's selling out arenas nationwide, collecting countless awards, or launching or own line with Wrangler, Wilson is country music's newest queen.
It's the culmination of a long and hard-fought journey for Wilson, who first moved to Nashville over a decade ago with not much more than a dream. But as she explained to GRAMMY.com earlier this year, Wilson has been manifesting this level of country music success since she wrote her first song at just 9 years old.
"I've dedicated my life to it," she said. "And it really is cool to just feel like that little 9-year-old girl who was writing her first song, that she wasn't completely crazy."
Read More: Lainey Wilson On How Her Stardom Is A Testament To "Believin' And Receivin'"
Wilson grinded behind the scenes in songwriter rooms and at local gigs during her early years in Nashville, independently releasing her self-titled debut record in 2014, followed by the fittingly titled Tougher in 2016. It was a time of trial by fire as Wilson was learning how to navigate not only Nashville's music scene, but honing her own voice as a songwriter as well.
"Each album has been a reflection of the season I was in at the time," Wilson tells GRAMMY.com now. "My first album was the safest. I was young and had just moved to Nashville, but still hadn't seen too much of the world just yet. My next album became more confident and a little sassy. After that, I started to really discover my north star, staying open to all kinds of people and opportunities and sticking with the parts that felt the most authentic to me."
Just months before signing with Broken Bow Records in 2018, she delivered another self-titled project – this time, an EP, which conveyed both gratitude and sensitivity with songs like "Dreamcatcher" and "Breakin' Your Heart." Both qualities would soon become Wilson's trademark, and what particularly made listeners gravitate toward her breakthrough hit (and eventual first No. 1 at country radio), "Things A Man Oughta Know."
First appearing on her 2019 EP, Redneck Hollywood, "Things" was the second single on her debut studio album, 2021's Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'. Along with putting Wilson on the map, the LP also introduced fans to her unique style that she calls "bell bottom country" — sonically, a mix of nostalgic and twangy, pop-tinged sounds that never takes itself too seriously; visually, presented with flair (and flare) in her now-signature bell bottom pants.
"It's finding that thing that makes you unique, and leaning into it," Wilson told Rolling Stone in 2021. "It could be your story, your sound, where you're from, how you're raised, how you dress. I kept thinking about those words, 'bell-bottom country'…how can we do this? I definitely wanted a bit of Bobbie Gentry vibe, but also the pureness of Lee Ann Womack but also the sassiness of Dolly Parton. I wanted it to feel timeless and classic and, honestly, a little not too perfect."
Once "Things A Man Oughta Know" topped the charts, it wasn't long before Wilson did it again with Cole Swindell on "Never Say Never," her first of several chart-topping duets to come. She also hit the road opening for Jason Aldean, setting her up as an artist to watch and ensuring that she wouldn't be a flash-in-the-pan success story.
After being unapologetically herself on Sayin' What I'm Thinkin', Wilson doubled down on that sentiment — and her brand — with Bell Bottom Country, a 16-song exploration of classic country instrumentation with glimmering '70s rock elements. It saw Wilson tell her story more than ever before, from the heartfelt ode to her father, "Those Boots (Deddy's Song)," to the strong-willed generational tale of "Wildflowers & Wild Horses."
Though Bell Bottom Country was a bit of a slow burn — peaking at No. 9 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart — Wilson's place in the country music zeitgeist was rapidly rising. Two weeks after Bell Bottom Country arrived, she made her acting debut as a guest star in "Yellowstone"; a month later, her booty-hugging bell bottoms went viral on TikTok.
Within the next several months, Bell Bottom Country spawned two No. 1 hits: the dynamic resilience tale, "Heart Like a Truck," and the "Strawberry Wine"-esque "Watermelon Moonshine." By the end of 2023, she'd score four No. 1s (thanks to collabs with HARDY and Jelly Roll), serve as direct support for Luke Combs' stadium tour, and become a brand ambassador for Wrangler jeans and Stella Rosa wines — all of it propelling Wilson to becoming a household name. And by May 2024, she'd scooped up three of the most coveted country awards: Entertainer Of The Year at both the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy Of Country Music Awards, and a GRAMMY for Best Country Album for Bell Bottom Country.
As her fame rose, Wilson had to make a conscious effort to stay grounded — especially because her personal life presented a whirlwind of its own. While the singer's career, as she puts it, "had me feeling like I was holding on to the tail of an airplane," her dad experienced several health issues, and simultaneously, she was balancing a relationship with former NFL quarterback Devlin Hodges.
"I had to learn how to rise to the occasion, deal with the pressure, and tend to my feelings and personal life around it all," Wilson explains. "I didn't feel in control of anything; like I was the victim of the chaos."
But as she started to make peace with her new reality, Wilson found solace in music. Soon, she had the makings of her fifth album, Whirlwind. "I [found] my footing through writing these songs and committing to a few good habits that have helped me become my best self," she adds.
Like Bell Bottom Country, Whirlwind sees Wilson telling her story — so, naturally, this time, there's a lot more love songs. "Counting Chickens" and "4x4xU" hint that she's found her life partner, while "Hang Tight Honey" and "Good Horses" remind that she won't let fame get in the way of a good thing. (Even the title track flips the proverbial whirlwind of her career into a metaphor for love: "We're a whirlwind/ But baby, loving you's a breeze.")
Whirlwind largely expands on Wilson's signature country flair, but a standout is the hip-hop, rock and country mash-up "Ring Finger" (which, ironically, is a breakup song; "I got the ring, he got the finger," she sings on the chorus). Much like with her previous two albums, Wilson teamed up with producer Jay Joyce for the project, noting that his willingness to experiment has helped her establish a sound that's fresh and unique, but also classic and timeless — a formula that's only proving to be more and more successful for the singer.
"I've become more confident, first and foremost," Wilson says of her growth. "I've seen beautiful things that come from pressure, and the things it can break. From that, I feel like I am writing with more wisdom and understanding and doing so in a way that kind of observes feelings instead of getting lost in them."
That wisdom and understanding is perhaps most apparent on "Middle Of It," an autobiographical illustration of how she's navigated her growing success. But whether she's exploring new sounds or new storylines, Wilson continues to prove that she'll never lose sight of the country-loving, hard-working girl she's always been.
Whirlwind paints a picture of Wilson rising above her success and its ensuing chaos, ultimately finding herself more at ease than ever before. It's all proof that her long-traveled journey has been well worth it — she's helped make country music cool again, and she doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.