Lainey Wilson is opening up about her personal struggles. The Grand Ole Opry member has been vocal that she sometimes deals with imposter syndrome, even as her career continues to soar to new heights. But now, Wilson reveals she is coming to terms with her own success, and the hard work she has done to achieve it.
“At the end of the day, I think everybody is human,” Wilson tells CBS Mornings. “I’ve absolutely dealt with it. But you know what I’ve realized over the past year, especially, is that if you’re given a gift, and you have worked hard to receive that gift, then it’s important to accept it with an open heart and an open mind. And that’s what I’m learning how to do. I’m not gonna lie to you and say it’s easy every day, but I’m getting better.”
The reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year is expanding her career beyond country music. Wilson recently announced she was starring in a new movie, Reminders of Him. Although Wilson has yet to disclose what role she will play, she says it will not be a musician.
“I will say, I never in a million years thought I’d be doing movies, or acting in any sort,” Wilson admits. “I signed up to write songs and sing country music. But I feel like there have been so many opportunities that have popped up, that I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’d be crazy not to take this opportunity.’ So after Yellowstone, I was like bound and determined, the next thing I do, I want it to be something where I’m not playing a musician. So this was an opportunity for me to try something else. What I’ve learned is, I love being creative. I love stepping outside of the box. I love telling the story, and that’s what it’s all about for me.”
Wilson is back at radio with a new single, “Somewhere Over Laredo.” The song is from her forthcoming Whirlwind Deluxe album, out on August 22.
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“First of all, I spend a lot of my time 30,000 feet in the air, flying to the next show, the next town,” explains the singer. “And you know, when you’re staring out the window, you get to spend a little time with yourself and reminisce and dream, talk to God, all those things. This song right here, it gave me an opportunity to step back into a pair of shoes that I wore a long time ago. I’m partial but this is one of my favorite songs that I have ever written. And of course, everybody is inspired by the song ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'”
In addition to starring in a movie, Wilson also has plenty of tour dates. She is playing several fairs and festivals this summer, before launching the United States leg of her Whirlwind World Tour in August.
“We’re gonna be playing arenas and some amphitheaters,” Wilson says. “It’s really wild to watch the crowds get bigger. I feel like as they do, my team also gets bigger. It’s just fun to be able to put a show together, and have some of those bells and whistles. Really just create something bigger that tells the story right along with the songs.”
She also has to find time to plan a wedding to Devlin “Duck” Hodges, whom she got engaged to earlier this year, after dating for four years.
“The truth is, Duck is one of my biggest cheerleaders,” Wilson boasts. “He’s the kind of dude that just, he high-fives me on the way in the door and on the way out. He played professional football, and he knows what it’s like to work your entire life for something. So he gets it. He don’t have a dog in the race when it comes to the music business, but he’s just a good dude, and like I said, my biggest cheerleader. I had to kiss a bunch of frogs, but I finally found me a Duck.”
Find “Somewhere Over Laredo” and all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows at LaineyWilson.com.
Photo Credit: ACM / Rich Polk