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Lainey Wilson Is Always Unapologetically Herself

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Lainey Wilson will perform at next week’s CMA Awards , where she is the top nominee. Lainey has been working and performing almost nightly since her star began to rise in country music over a year ago.

Wilson told us in an interview recently that she thinks her appeal and sudden rise in country music has to do with relating to her fans. She said, “Every single fan that I meet, I want people to feel like they know me, and I want to feel like I know them. I think it’s just about genuine connections.”

She continued, “And sometimes it’s a rat race, and you get caught up in this stuff, and you’re just trying to get to the next thing, but I think it’s just about taking a step back and just being you. Sometimes people make you feel like you can’t be you, but for me, the thing that has worked is me being completely true to myself.”

Being yourself is what she tells us is the key, “That’s it, and I’ve got a lot of people in my life who encourage me to be nothing but myself. I think it’s (her appeal) probably comes from people who feel like they know me, or maybe they see themselves in me a little bit or hear themselves in some of my songs.

RELATED: Lainey Wilson Always Knew She Would Be A Country Star

Lainey also told us about how she is staying grounded during this incredible time in her life and career. She said, “I’m trying to keep one front on the ground. It’s crazy, but it’s like the most beautiful kind of whirlwind I can imagine. I do have a lot of people in my life who keep me grounded and make sure that I’m not getting ahead of myself.”

She added, “I feel like all twelve and a half years that I have been here in Nashville have prepared me for all the blessings that are happening now. I don’t know if I would have been quite ready for it (sooner) because this is a lot to take on all of a sudden. It feels like we’ve been shot out of a dang canon. But we’re doing it, and I do think it is about surrounding yourself with people who have your best interest at heart and know you. And remind you who you are and who you were and who you want to be.”

Five 2023 CMA Awards Lainey Wilson Should Win

  • Female Vocalist of the Year

    This is an award she won in 2022 from the CMA, and in this category, the CMA often repeats if a particular star has had such a good year as Lainey has. Let’s not forget Miranda Lambert took this award home seven times. Reba McEntire won the honor four times in the 1980s and 1990s. It feels like Wilson is a shoo-in for this win.

  • Album of the Year

    Having won the Academy of Country Music’s 2022 award for Album of the Year, Lainey can also win this from the CMA. The album was one of the year’s biggest and has spawned two number-one songs, including “Heart Like A Truck” and “Watermelon Moonshine.” She told us when the album was released, “Sure, I love a good pair of bell bottoms, but Bell Bottom Country to me has always been about the flare and what makes someone unique—I have really embraced mine, and I hope y’all can hear that across this project.”

  • Video of the Year For "Wait In The Truck" with Hardy

    This epic video has already won Collaborative Music Video of the Year at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. It also won the Visual Media Award (basically Video of the Year) at the 2022 ACM Awards in May. With its hard-core storyline and great acting from both HARDY and Lainey, it would be wrong if it did not win Video of the Year from the CMA.

  • Musical Event With Jelly Roll for "Save Me"

    Jelly Roll and Lainey are both so very hot in country music right now, so a win here would be no surprise at all. Also, the song is solid and a fan favorite for sure. Even though Wilson is nominated against herself in this category with the Musical Event with HARDY and “Wait In The Truck,” there is a good chance her collaboration with Jelly will be the winner.

  • Entertainer of the Year

    Yep, I said it. Lainey should take the biggest award of the evening and the most coveted honor of Entertainer of the Year. Let’s be honest: she dominated country music in 2023 with several tours, big hit songs, and many other awards from other award shows. It always seems a little soon for someone like Wilson, whose rise in country music seemed to happen so quickly, to win this one. However, she really deserves this one, and I would be surprised if she didn’t take it home on CMA Award show night.

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group
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