Lainey Wilson is hard at work on her new record. The 31-year-old just celebrated her fifth consecutive No. 1 single, with “Watermelon Moonshine,” from her sophomore Bell Bottom Country album. While she has yet to reveal a title or release date for the new project, Wilson does say fans can expect to get to know her better — a lot better –with her next set of tunes.
“I feel like, with every record that I write, and I feel like with even every show that I play, I’m just figuring out who I am a little bit more,” Wilson shared with Everything Nash and other outlets at a recent media event. “And the truth is, I don’t think I can figure it out anymore, but I just do.”
Wilson also plans on sharing songs about her relationship with Devlin “Duck” Hodges, a former NFL player whom Wilson quietly dated for more than two years, before going public with their romance at the ACM Awards.
“I’m in a happy, healthy relationship, so you’ll hear some of those [songs],” Wilson said. “It ain’t gonna be all floofy, all butterflies in my stomach, I’m dancing around in a sundress. That ain’t happening. But it is gonna be more of an empowerment, like I got a good man who loves me, supports me. That’s definitely gonna show that side of me, that I don’t even know if some people knew existed, but it does.”
The Louisiana native is enjoying one of the hottest careers in country music, but she isn’t willing to sacrifice her personal life for the sake of her career. Wilson has been very intentional about still living her life, a decision that she says will make her new album even better.
“I have made sure that we have carved out time for me to live my life, so I can write things that people are going to be able to relate to,” Wilson explained. “The truth is, if I didn’t do that, I’d be writing about airports and tour buses, and that’s not very relatable to the folks that I’m singing to. It’s making sure that you’re living to write.”
Wilson heads into next month’s CMA Awards as the most-nominated artist, with nine nominations, including the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year. She will also perform during the live broadcast.
“It’s crazy,” Wilson told the New York Post, speaking of her nine nominations. “I mean, there’s a few categories where I’m competing with myself. It’s wild. If you would have told little Lainey that this would happen this soon into my career, I would have told you you were lying.”
Wilson will headline her Country’s Cool Again Tour in 2024, as well as join Morgan Wallen next year on his 2024 One Night At A Time World Tour. Find all of Wilson’s music and tour dates at LaineyWilson.com.
