Lainey Wilson

Wilson was born in Baskin, Louisiana. Her dad taught her a couple chords two years after she started writing songs (age 11). She impersonated Hannah Montana as her job in high school, touring across Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. She released an EP titled Country Girls Rule on MySpace in 2006. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee, after graduating high school and recorded music in a camper trailer that she lived in for 3 years. She parked it beside a recording studio belonging to family friend, Jerry Cupit. This led to her self-titled independent debut album in 2014. A second independent album titled Tougher followed in 2016 on the Lone Chief label. It charted on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart upon its release.[1]

Following these, she released a self-titled extended play in 2018. The success of her independent releases led to a publishing contract with Sony Music Publishing, followed by a recording contract with BBR Music Group and her first major label release, the Redneck Hollywood EP. Wilson also began touring with Morgan Wallen in 2019.[1] In February 2020, Wilson performed on the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.[2] Following the release of the Redneck Hollywood EP, Wilson released "Dirty Looks" as her first single to country radio in October 2019. When this single failed to chart, another song from the EP, "Things a Man Oughta Know", was sent to country radio in August 2020.

Her first major label studio album, Sayin' What I'm Thinkin', was released in February 2021. Jay Joyce produced this project.[1] Two months later, "Things a Man Oughta Know" had reached the top five of the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts.[3] The song became Wilson's first number one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2021, a little over a year after the song was first sent to country radio.

Wilson has played live on BBC Radio 4's program Loose Ends twice, performing "Dirty Looks" in May 2020[4] and "WWDD" in May 2021.[5]

On May 17, 2021, Jason Aldean's Back in the Saddle Tour was announced, with Wilson as a supporting act.[28]

On March 21, 2021, Wilson was featured as an "Up Next" artist on Kelleigh Bannen's Up Next USA Spotlight on Apple Music.[29] On March 5, 2021, iHeartRadio featured Wilson as an "On the Verge Artist".[30] In 2020, Spotify listed Wilson as a "Hot Country Artist to Watch in 2021".[31] Music Row magazine in Nashville listed Wilson as a "Next Big Thing Artist" for 2021.[32] Wilson has also been listed as a Pandora "Country Artist to Watch" in 2020.[33] CMT featured Wilson in their "Listen Up" Class of 2019[34] and on their "2019 CMT Next Women of Country" tour.[35] On August 19, 2021, Wilson was named Discovery Artist of the Year by Music Row.[36]