Lainey Wilson is undoubtedly one of the biggest women in the country music industry as of late, but this success did not come without a few setbacks along the way.
Ahead of the the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards — which will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas tomorrow (May 8) — Wilson, the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, sat down with Bobby Bones for Prime Video’s ACM Awards 60th Celebration Special, discussing the highs and lows of her career to date.
In the conversation, Bones asked Wilson whether or not her support system has been brutally honest with her along the way. He inquired, “The people I trust to tell me I did something good are the people that have had to tell me, ‘Hey, that wasn’t so good.’ Do you have those people in your circle?”
Naturally, the “Hang Tight Honey” singer spilled the tea, admitting that she “keeps those people close,” notably her mother: Michelle Wilson.
For those who are unfamiliar, the talented singer/songwriter grew up on a farm owned by her parents, Brian and Michelle Wilson, where her father worked the farm and her mother served as a schoolteacher. Despite leaving home at an early age to pursue her country music career, Wilson still has a strong bond with her parents, previously telling American Songwriter in an interview, “My family means a whole lot to me… I am who I am because of the people who raised me. I love them, I really do. I feel like I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t raised by Brian and Michelle Wilson.”
Nevertheless, while speaking with Bones, Wilson gushed, “I don’t wanna take advice from people who aren’t where I wanna be.” She continued, “I remember even like growing up and singing — and my mama cannot carry a tune in a bucket — she would try to tell me how to sing, and it would make me so mad, ’cause I was like, ‘You can’t sing!'”
Mama Wilson’s advice was not entirely useless, though, with the “Watermelon Moonshine” singer appreciating some different feedback from her mother. She concluded, “When it comes to like choosing songs and picking songs and the ones that are right, I can always trust my mama’s judgment… she’ll be like, ‘I don’t think that one is as good as you think it is.’
Whether she’s listening to her mother or blazing her own trail, it is clear that Wilson’s career has been greatly impacted by those who raised her. Walking the 2024 ACM Awards red carpet alongside her mother, will history repeat itself tomorrow?
To find out for yourself, tune into the the 2025 ACM Awards tomorrow at 8pm ET/5pm PT via Prime Video, as well as the Amazon Music channel via Twitch. With Reba McEntire hosting the show for 18th time — making history as the longest-running host in ACM history — it is sure to be an evening to remember!
