By Michaela Gordoni
Country music star Lainey Wilson says life is about “standing up for what you believe in” and keeping family close.
“I think the thing that has helped me keep one foot on the ground is just keeping my people close — the ones that know Lainey and not Lainey Wilson,” the star told Southern Living this month. “I go home to Baskin, and everybody’s trying to stop by and see me.”
“But it’s not because of everything that’s going on; it’s just because they want to stop by and see me, you know? And just making sure that I’m taking the time to do the things that make me feel like Lainey, the sister and friend and daughter,” she explained.
When Wilson isn’t on the road, she’s usually at her “hippie” farmhouse in Nashville. She does try to visit her hometown in Baskin, Louisiana, every now and then.
Lainey used to go “straight to Baskin first and seeing Mom and Daddy until my sister had kids,” she explained. “And now, I go straight to Monroe and see my little nephews, and then we all end up going to Baskin. And, man, we just love being outside.”
Related: Country Singer Lainey Wilson Says Faith, Family Keep Her ‘Grounded’
“My horse turned 30 this year, so I think I just got my final ride on him. And there’s nothing like driving down my hometown road — and the highway they just named after me in Baskin. Same place that I got a ticket when I was 15 years old.”
Her granny lives a mile away from her parents, so she likes to go sit and talk with her and help her clean, too.
“It just reminds you what’s really important. And this is all very, very important, [meaning] my job, but it’s [also] very important for me to not put all my self-worth into what I do,” she said. “I know who I am, the Lord knows who I am, and I try to live by that.”
“I think it’s always about just planting your feet where they are and knowing who you are, standing up for what you believe in, and keeping your people close. I mean, that’s been my method to this madness.”
Wilson had a hard road to get where she is today. She lived in a trailer in Nashville and was in the city for seven years before she got a record deal.
“A lot of my songs are about resilience and rolling your sleeves up and things like that. And it’s not like I’m purposefully trying to put that message in the song. It just comes out because I think that is the life that I’ve lived. I don’t know any other way,” she said.
She reflected on what Thanksgiving is like with her family — there’s always plenty to eat.
“Look, even if there are six people coming over, my mama’s cooking for an army. That’s how it feels. I’m like, Lord, we’re gonna have leftovers for three years,” she told Southern Living.
This year for Thanksgiving, she’s performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then, she’s looking forward to Christmas with her nephews.
“I’m excited to go back to Louisiana and spend some time with my three little nephews, Chapel, Ledger, and Knox,” she told Country Living in September. “At some point in time, they’re going to think Aunt Lainey is cool; they don’t think I’m cool right now, but at some point, they will.”
“It’s my life’s mission for them to think I’m cool,” she joked. ‘So it’s going to be a good Christmas.”
Read Next: Lainey Wilson Says Farming Family Instilled Strong Work Ethic: ‘Rolled Their Sleeves Up’
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +4Share:
– Content: +1