Lainey Denay Wilson (born May 19, 1992) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer–songwriter and actress. Wilson performed from an early age, before going to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, to pursue a career as a country performer. In 2014, she released her first album, followed by a second on the Lone Chief label in 2016. Wilson secured a publishing deal and later released an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) in 2019, which included the song "

Things a Man Oughta Know "Things a Man Oughta Know" is a song recorded by American country music singer Lainey Wilson. It was released in August 2020 as the second single from Wilson's ''Redneck Hollywood'' EP and would later be included on her 2021 album '' Sayin' What ...

". In 2020, it was issued as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

through the

BBR Music Group BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan ...

and eventually reached number one on the American country songs chart.

Early life

Wilson was raised in

Baskin, Louisiana Baskin is a village in Franklin Parish, Louisiana, Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 254 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 188 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. Baskin is located north of the par ...

, a town of only 250 people. Her father Brian was a farmer while her mother Michelle was a schoolteacher. She became interested in music at a young age. Her family often listened to classic country music by

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for the Buckaroos, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 ...

and

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...

. "Country music for me and my family, it was more than music. We lived the words to those songs," she told '' The Advocate''. At age nine, she attended a performance of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

and was drawn to the music. "I just remember looking up there, being like, ‘Man, I wanna do that'," she recalled. Wilson's father taught her a couple of chords and she was soon writing songs by her preteen years. In 2006, she released an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) on Myspace titled ''Country Girls Rule''. In high school, Wilson took a job impersonating

Hannah Montana ''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a ...

. Often booking her own shows, she performed as Hannah Montana at birthday parties, fairs, and festivals across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, even once performing for child cancer patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Career

2011–2018: Early years in Nashville and independent releases

Wilson finished high school and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in August 2011. She first lived in a camper trailer outside of a recording studio in Nashville. The studio owner paid for Wilson's water and electricity to help make ends meet. In 2021, Wilson explained that her early years in Nashville were difficult: "It taught me that this thing was not going to be easy. It taught me perseverance." For several years, Wilson played a variety of small shows and worked on her songwriting. In 2014, Wilson released a self-titled album on the Cupit label. It was followed in 2016 by her second album '' Tougher''. The disc was released on the Lone Chief label. The project garnered an audience and charted the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...

list in 2016. In 2018, she issued her second EP, a self-titled collection that was self-released. This led to Wilson signing a publishing deal with SONY/ATV in 2018. The same year, she also signed a management deal.

2019–present: Breakout success with "Things a Man Oughta Know"

In 2018, Wilson signed a major-label recording contract with the

. Her first major-label release was her third EP ''

Redneck Hollywood ''Redneck Hollywood'' is an extended play (EP) by American country singer–songwriter Lainey Wilson. It was released on September 13, 2019, via the BBR Music Group and contained four tracks. Two songs from the collection were spawned as singles: ...

'' (2019). Her debut major label

was also released in 2019 called "Dirty Looks". ''Off the Record UK'' praised the EP, highlighting Wilson's songwriting and the production from producer

Jay Joyce John Joseph "Jay" Joyce is an American record producer, songwriter and session musician. In the 1990s, Joyce, with Chris Feinstein and Brad Pemberton, recorded and toured as Iodine and began working as a record producer, working with artists suc ...

. The publication concluded by saying, "The EP is raw and real, pushing the country music genre wider than ever and bringing it back to the traditional while still reinventing it to its modern surroundings." Wilson then received attention from

Country Music Television Country Music Television (CMT) is an American pay TV network owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched on March 5, 1983, as Country Music Television, CMT was the first nationally available channel devoted to coun ...

, who included her in their "Listen Up" Class of 2019 and on their "2019 CMT Next Women of Country" tour. She also toured with

Morgan Wallen Morgan Cole Wallen (born May 13, 1993) is an American country singer and songwriter. He competed in the sixth season of ''The Voice'', originally as a member of Usher's team, but later as a member of Adam Levine's team. After being eliminated ...

in 2019. During this same period, several of her songs were featured in the

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was or ...

show ''

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

''. In August 2020, the BBR label issued Wilson's next single to radio titled "

". The track gained heavy media attention from sites like

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

iHeart Radio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbrella brand for iHear ...

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

and

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...

. By 2021, "Things a Man Oughta Know" became her breakout single, reaching number three on the ''Billboard''

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...

chart and number one on the Country Songs chart. It was included on her third studio album ''

Sayin' What I'm Thinkin' ''Sayin' What I'm Thinkin is the third studio album by American country music singer–songwriter Lainey Wilson. It was released on February 19, 2021, by BBR Music Group. Produced by Jay Joyce, the album was Wilson's first album to be released on ...

'' (2021). The disc was her first full-length album collection issued on the BBR label and contained 12 tracks. It was her second to reach the ''Billboard'' country albums list, peaking at number 40. The disc received positive reviews. "Beyond writing and recording songs that satisfy country music fans, she succeeds at introducing her whole self through the music," concluded ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

s Billy Dukes. ''Entertainment Focus'' commented, "The rising star knocks it out of the park with her new album." Wilson appeared as a supporting act on

Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...

's "Back in the Saddle Tour" in 2021. In 2021, Wilson collaborated with

Cole Swindell Colden Rainey Swindell (born June 30, 1983) is an American rock music singer and songwriter. He has written singles for Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan, and has released four albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashvil ...

on his single " Never Say Never". The duet was released as the second single from Swindell's fourth studio album ''

Stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

'', and became Wilson's second single to top the ''Billboard'' country chart. It was followed by her 2022 solo single titled "

Heart Like a Truck "Heart Like a Truck" is a song recorded by American country music singer Lainey Wilson. It was released in May 2022 as the lead single from her second studio album, ''Bell Bottom Country''. It was written by Wilson, Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wi ...

", then the album ''

Bell Bottom Country ''Bell Bottom Country'' is the fourth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Lainey Wilson. Released on October 28, 2022, by BBR Music Group, the album serves as the follow-up to her third studio album, '' Sayin' What I'm Thinkin' ...

.'' Wilson received a leading six nominations at the 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards, becoming the fourth artist to receive six or more nominations as a first-time nominee. Wilson also joined the cast of ''

'' in 2022.

Musical style and influences

Wilson's musical style is rooted in country music, but also incorporates elements of pop,

southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...

, contemporary country and

classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades. Repertoire The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...

. In describing her style,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Mark Deming commented, "Wilson's voice is clear and strong, with an unapologetic Southern accent, and her songs are tough but heartfelt contemporary country with an edge that has its roots in vintage Southern rock and classic rock, as well as a dash of modern-day pop." In describing her own musical style, Wilson characterized it as "bell-bottom country", which ''

'' called "a cross between easy listening and hard truths." Wilson has been heavily influenced by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, paying tribute to her in the self-composed track "WWDD" (What Would Dolly Do). She also credits

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 ...

as an influence on her career and music.

Discography

Studio albums * ''Lainey Wilson'' (2014) * '' Tougher'' (2016) * ''

'' (2021) * ''

'' (2022)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

! , - , rowspan="3", 2021 ,

CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes p ...

, Breakthrough Video of the Year – "

" , , align="center", , - , rowspan="2",

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

, New Female Artist of the Year , , align="center" rowspan="2", , - , Song of the Year – "Things a Man Oughta Know" , , - , rowspan="8", 2022 , rowspan="2", CMT Music Awards , CMT Digital – First Performance of the Year – "Things a Man Oughta Know" , , align="center" rowspan="2", , - , Video of the Year – " Never Say Never" , , - , rowspan=6,

Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

, Female Vocalist of the Year , , align="center" rowspan="6", , - , New Artist of the Year , , - , Album of the Year – ''

'' , , - , Song of the Year – "

" , , - , Musical Event of the Year – " Never Say Never" , , - , Video of the Year – " Never Say Never" ,

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Lainey 1992 births 21st-century American women American country singer-songwriters American women country singers BBR Music Group artists Country musicians from Louisiana Living people People from Louisiana Singer-songwriters from Louisiana