By India McCarty
Country star Lainey Wilson recently reflected on her meteoric rise to fame — and how being “fearless” put her at the top of the country charts.
“Even 15 years in Nashville could not prepare me for the way my career exploded,” she told PEOPLE. “I mean, this is all I could have ever wanted and more.”
Wilson had long dreamed of being a country singer, moving to Nashville at 19 to make it happen. She was signed to a major label in 2018 nearly a decade later and had her first hit, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” the following year.
Related: ‘God Laid’ Music on Lainey Wilson’s Heart — She Never Looked Back
She has since become one of the biggest names in country music, headlining the Stagecoach music festival later this month and starring in her own Netflix documentary, LAINEY WILSON: KEEPIN’ COUNTRY COOL. Through it all, Wilson has managed to stay grounded and focused on friends and family.
“I’m not just a singer, songwriter, musician — that’s what I do,” she explained. “Trophies and awards are things that come along with success, but it cannot define me as a person, because that’s when I lose sight of who I am. I got to keep my head screwed on straight.”
Wilson finished, “Being fearless got me here. We’re given one life — and I want to live it.”
In a recent Q&A following a screening of KEEPIN’ COUNTRY COOL, Wilson spoke about her motivation as an artist, sharing, “The truth is…the things that drive me are constantly changing.”
“Which is cool, because I feel like for a while I had a lot of people to prove wrong, you know, and then I realized, ‘Okay, now I have a lot of people to prove right,’” she continued.
She pointed to the many people who “have give me opportunity and chances” over the years, as well as “everybody who has been there and who has, like, seen me on this journey do it.”
“Also, now I have a lot of fans that believe in me and show up and sacrifice a lot to buy the ticket. I have a lot of people that I want to keep happy,” Wilson added.
Wilson has been open about her faith, telling Fox News in 2024, “I feel like there’s a few things that keep me grounded. My faith, most importantly.”
“I run my mouth a lot, but I talk to God a lot too,” she continued. “I think it’s really important to stay as grounded as you possibly can. If that means picking up the phone, talking to your mama, talking to your family, talking to your nephews, surrounding yourself with the people who love you and who know you better than anybody, I think those are all the little tricks. That’s what I’m doing.”
Wilson’s fearlessness has made her one of country music’s biggest stars today.
Read Next: Lainey Wilson Believes God Had a Plan for Early Career Rejection
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +4Share:
– Content: +2