Multi-platinum Country artist Lainey Wilson has had quite the year between her acting debut in the hit TV series Yellowstone and being the most nominated artist at the CMA Awards with six taking home the accolades for New Artist of The Year and beating out Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert for Female Vocalist of the Year there’s no slowing down soon.
Wilson has recently dropped her most current single “Watermelon Moonshine” off her newest record Bell Bottom Country and she hopped on a phone call to discuss the single, time on Yellowstone, and much more, candidly.
“Watermelon Moonshine” finds the artist singing about that young and crazy love that everyone has all felt at once in their lives and the nostalgia that comes with it. “I worked with two of the greatest songwriters, Jordan Schmidt and Josh Kear on the song, and I give them a lot of credit in bringing it to life. Throughout the creative process, we were truly able to find what Bell Bottom Country sounds like to us. A lot of people have compared the song to “Strawberry Wine” by Deanna Carter, which is actually one of my favorite songs from my childhood. I think we were able to emulate the heartstrings and classic coming of age story with this track similar to what Deanna and people like Lee Ann Womack did so seamlessly in the 2000s,” Wilson told EUPHORIA.
The accompanying video for the track is not your typical one. The artist said it’s more of a visualizer than a traditional music video. “We wanted to create a visualizer to go along with the song, but not take away from the lyrics or backstory,” she says. “We’re currently developing a storyline to go along with “Watermelon Moonshine”, and I hope to showcase the story of nostalgic young love in a large way.”
Every songwriter has essentials when it comes to writing new music. For the country artist, she’s always writing and it’s her biggest passion in life! She loves being able to channel what she’s currently experiencing at this stage in her life and create storylines and characters for people to relate to.
“My music has reached people all over the world, and when I think about the people listening in London, Germany, Australia, the UK, and beyond it reminds me that we’re more alike than we often think we are. I love that my music has been able to bring people together and celebrate individuality.”
The artist was recognized at the 2023 ACMs and took home an impressive four out of the six awards she was nominated for. It included Female Vocalist of the Year and two of them were for her collaborative track “wait in the truck” with Hardy. On the honors, she said, “You know, it’s such an incredible feeling to be recognized for my music. But I didn’t come into this industry to win trophies, I wanted to connect people with music, the same way I have felt connected with some of the greats like Leanne Womack, Dolly Parton, and Reba McEntire. I think these nominations solidify our work in Nashville, and we’re just getting started!”
Beyond that, Wilson has a slot of dates with Luke Combs and Hardy and they’ve been nothing but kind to her. “I’ve known Luke for almost a decade, and he used to come over to my camper trailer when I first got to Nashville and we would write music together. I knew from the moment I met him that he was going to be a game-changer in Country music, and really go against the grain. Hardy is also one of the greatest songwriters of our generation and he’s really taken me under his wing throughout my career. Both Luke and Hardy have been huge supporters of mine, well before my first single and I’m so happy to be able to be by their side on tour. It’s really a full circle moment.”
The singer-songwriter isn’t afraid to dream big as it was recently announced that she’s playing her bucket list venue Red Rocks Amphitheater on September 26. “I am so excited to perform at such an iconic venue where so many great artists have played. We’re bringing a ton of friends and family with us and we’re gonna have a lot of fun.”
Making her acting debut in Yellowstone was a dream moment for the star. “Taylor Sheridan has been incredibly supportive of me and initially reached out to feature “Working Overtime” in Season 2. He basically created my character Abby, where I was able to kind of play myself in a sense. I absolutely loved working on Yellowstone and channeling a new creative outlet. I learned throughout the process that songwriting and acting are more alike than you think, but come in different mediums. I don’t know if I’m coming back for more episodes, but would absolutely love to.”
It’s important to find ways to kick back and relax amongst the madness of touring and writing/recording music. Believe it or not, she’s been touring for twelve years straight minus the pandemic. She revealed that she only slept in her bed back home a handful of times, so when given the opportunity to slow down she makes sure to put her feet in the grass and really ground herself. Meditation is key and praying to remind herself to take a second to breathe even when life on the road gets crazy.
There is a lot to look forward to from Lainey Wilson. She excitedly revealed, “I’m going to be touring with Hardy and Luke Combs, two of my best friends, which is really exciting! And I’m also playing some really incredible festivals this year like CMA Fest, Lollapalooza, Riverfront Revival, and my first-ever headlining arena performance at Mohegan Sun Arena. I’m also going to spend some time writing and working on new music whenever I can.”
