Introduction
Lainey Wilson Proves Why She’s One of Country Music’s Most Powerful Voices
Lately, Lainey Wilson has been unstoppable. Between the massive success of her “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” single, her continued reign as CMA’s Entertainer of the Year, and her sold-out tour dates across the country, Wilson has solidified herself as one of country music’s biggest names. Add in her growing list of collaborations and her viral moments on social media, and it’s clear—Lainey is on a winning streak that shows no signs of slowing down.
With over 2.7 million followers on Instagram, 1.8 million on TikTok, and nearly a million on Facebook, Wilson has built an online empire that mirrors her onstage success. Yet, as she recently revealed during a candid interview on The Bobby Bones Show, things weren’t always this way.
Long before she was headlining arenas, Wilson was living in a camper trailer behind a Nashville recording studio, writing songs during the day and performing at dive bars at night. “I didn’t have a Plan B,” she said. “It was either make this dream work or go back home to Louisiana and help Daddy with the farm.”
She remembered a turning point around 2018 when she landed her first big opening gig for Jon Pardi. “It felt like everything I’d been working toward was starting to move,” Wilson shared. “But at the same time, I was learning how much the industry cared about social media presence. I remember my manager saying, ‘Girl, you’ve got to start posting more. Labels want to see followers.’ I thought, ‘Well, shoot, I can do that.’”
Just like Riley Green once discovered, Wilson realized that social media had become one of the most powerful tools in the business. “It’s wild how much it matters now,” she laughed. “Back then, I was trying to get people to listen to my songs. Now I have millions of folks watching my dogs, my band, my life on the road.”
Today, Lainey’s social media is a blend of humor, authenticity, and music—a formula that’s resonated with fans everywhere. From acoustic sneak peeks of unreleased songs to behind-the-scenes moments with her family and crew, she’s built a genuine connection with her audience that few artists can match.
And that authenticity is exactly what has taken her from a small-town dreamer to one of Nashville’s most influential voices. As Wilson put it best, “I just keep showing up as me. The rest seems to fall into place.”