Lainey Wilson

Lainey Denay Wilson, born May 19, 1992, is an American country music singer and actress. She spent her early life in Baskin, Louisiana, raised by her father Brian, a farmer, and her mother Michelle, a schoolteacher, alongside her sister Janna. Exposed to classic country music by artists such as Buck Owens and Glen Campbell, she developed an interest in music at a young age. After attending a Grand Ole Opry performance at age nine, she learned guitar chords from her father and began writing songs as a pre-teen. In 2006, she released her first extended play, Country Girls Rule, on Myspace. During high school, she worked impersonating Hannah Montana at various events and festivals, including a performance for child cancer patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Following her high school graduation, Wilson moved to Nashville in August 2011 to pursue a country music career. She initially lived in a camper trailer outside a recording studio while playing small shows and developing her songwriting skills. In 2014, she released a self-titled album on Cupit Records, followed by her 2016 album Tougher on Lone Chief, which charted on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. She also performed in the duo Loretta Jett alongside Kasey Tyndall. After releasing a self-titled EP in 2018, Wilson secured a publishing deal with Sony/ATV, a management deal, and a major-label contract with BBR Music Group.

Wilson released her third EP, Redneck Hollywood, in 2019, which led to tours with artists like Morgan Wallen and song placements on the television series Yellowstone. In August 2020, BBR released her single "Things a Man Oughta Know," which became her breakout hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The track was included on her 2021 major-label debut album, Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'. That same year, she featured on Cole Swindell's duet "Never Say Never," achieving her second country chart-topper.

In 2022, Wilson released the single "Heart Like a Truck" and her album Bell Bottom Country, while also making her acting debut playing Abby in the television series Yellowstone. Her fifth studio album, Whirlwind, was released in August 2024, preceded by the lead single "Hang Tight Honey." That same year, she appeared in the country music documentary Rebel Country and won Best Music Video for "Out of Oklahoma" at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. In 2026, she made her feature film debut playing Amy Matthews in Reminders of Him and released the duet "Younger You" with Miley Cyrus.

Over her career, Wilson has won a Grammy Award, sixteen Academy of Country Music Awards, and nine Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 2023 and 2025. Outside of music and acting, she opened Bell Bottoms Up, a Cajun restaurant, bar, and music venue in Nashville, in May 2024. In May 2026, she married former NFL quarterback Devlin "Duck" Hodges. She remains a long-time supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.