Lainey Wilson is the most popular female country artist to come around in a decade. She’s released five studio albums — 2024’s Whirlwind is her latest — racking up CMA Awards and a Grammy and selling out arenas globally. That’s no small feat in a world where country radio is king and rarely plays two female artists back to back. In 2023, she was named Entertainer of the Year at the CMAs, becoming the first woman to win in more than 10 years. She’s nominated for three Grammys at the 2026 awards — and, keeping on theme, is the only woman nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.
Wilson, 33, is thriving in other arenas, too. Her longtime boyfriend, Devlin “Duck” Hodges, popped the question this year, and she’s continuing her acting career in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him. Wilson made her onscreen debut with a recurring role on Yellowstone in 2022, playing aspiring country singer Abby, a part creator Taylor Sheridan based on her own life. Both women rock what Wilson refers to as her superhero costume: “When I have the bell-bottoms on and the hat goes on, that’s when I feel like, ‘Now I can whoop some ass,’” she tells Us.
But that’s not the stuff that defines her. Wilson says nothing would be possible without philanthropy. In 2023, as her career was taking off, she founded the Heart Like a Truck Fund under the Middle Tennessee Community Foundation to support causes that can change people’s lives. “My family taught me to treat the janitor like you would the CEO,” says Wilson, who’s made goodwill part of her everyday routine. Among her charitable efforts is her work with Musically Fed, which takes leftover food from her gigs and distributes it to the unhoused community in whatever city she’s playing. Since its inception, HLAT has raised over $600,000 and donated to over 80 organizations.
“Kindness might be one of my superpowers,” Wilson says. “Kindness has definitely gotten me a lot further than the opposite.” The country superstar sat down with Us to share how her upbringing shaped who she is today and explain how even the smallest gestures can have a major impact.
You grew up in the very small town of Baskin, Louisiana, which, according to Google, has a population of just 200. How did that shape you?
Believe it or not, it’s actually 157, so a few people left. I learned a lot about the importance of community and taking care of each other. From the time I was a little girl, I got to see it both from my family and church. … I’m very proud of where I come from. My daddy’s a farmer — corn, wheat, soybeans, oats — my mama was a teacher. They taught me the importance of hard work, the difference between right and wrong. I am who I am because of the place that raised me.
How did church inspire you to give back?
A lot happened at Baskin Baptist Church. My parents got married there, and I got saved as a little girl there. It was full of good people — the kind that would give you the shirt off their back. Every year, we’d do a shoebox Christmas for folks who were less fortunate than we were. Everybody would bring an old shoebox and fill it up with small stuff. Even though we weren’t rolling in dough, my parents made sure giving was a priority. My daddy was the guy who would cook 10 or 12 turkeys every Thanksgiving or Christmas and deliver them. Growing up with that kind of faith taught me a lot about kindness and compassion, respect, generosity.
How important is community in country music?
Where I’m from, giving back wasn’t something you just talked about — it was something you did, and the country music family has taught me that too. They just bond together. They are there for each other. They lift each other up. They pull each other over those walls. It is really special.
When you’re on the road, how do you fit giving back into your daily routine?
There are times when I’m like, “I need to do something for somebody else.” It makes my job easier when I can lend a helping hand or make it about somebody else. Every city that the tour has stopped in, we’ve been able to help all these different organizations. It feels good to be able to do that, to pour back into the city that has come forward and sold all of our shows out. It’s the least I could do.
What effect do you think kindness can have on the world?
Oh, my gosh, it’s everything. I wish everybody could lead with love. … You never know what somebody’s going through, and something you say or do for that person that day could change their entire life. If we were all aware of that and reminded of how important and powerful words are — even a pat on the back — I think we’d all be leading with a little more kindness. I have a lot of really kind people around me, and even just my fan base that I’ve gotten to know and meet, they’re the kind of people you want in your corner.
Is leading with kindness something you have to make yourself do on tougher days?
Girl, I’ll tell you what: I got a crazy side, I ain’t gonna lie to you about that. For the most part, I feel like I always do try to lead with kindness. I’m having to learn how to be a leader, which is really new for me. In a few years, we went from having just me and a few band members on the road to 60-something people out there with us. You’re dealing with different kinds of people from different walks of life with different personalities, and they’re dealing with real life out on the road. Your life don’t stop when you’re out there, and things happen back at home that you have to deal with. There’s days where I absolutely have to make a firm decision: “OK, I’m gonna choose kindness today.” Because there’s times where I want to put ’em up and fight somebody. I’m human.
Lainey Wilson performing at CMA Fest in Nashville on June 5, 2025. Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Do you have a favorite kindness memory?
Every night during my shows, I do “Cowgirl of the Night.” It’s one of my favorite parts. I get to have a little girl up there, and we do affirmations: “I’m beautiful, I’m smart, I’m talented, I’m fearless.” I try to let the spirit guide me to who I need to be picking that night. One time, I picked a little girl who, that same week, had found out her mama had stage 4 cancer. I had no clue that little girl needed to be loved on a little bit extra, but it was a pretty powerful moment. It’s a reminder for me every night. I’m like, “OK, if I’m telling these little girls to believe it, I gotta believe it too.”
Do you have any mantras for yourself?
I always go back to the things my parents tried to instill in me: Be kind. Tell the truth. A handshake means everything. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The early bird gets the worm. … Take care of your people because there will come a time when you need the same in return. Keep your circle small. You tell all your business, you ain’t got none.
Lainey Wilson beat out six other nominees to become Entertainer of the Year at the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards — and she was nearly speechless over the honor. “Thank you so much. I love every single one of y’all in this category, and y’all have taken me under y’all’s wings, taken me out […]
What’s your advice for someone who feels overwhelmed about where to start when it comes to giving back?
If you don’t have [the means] to actually pay somebody, pay them a compliment. Tell them they look beautiful, compliment them about anything — their spirit, the way they carry themselves.
Was there a pivotal time when you were on the receiving end of care and kindness?
When we [lost] certain family members, I remember the neighbors showing up with potluck suppers and being there. My mama had broken her back off of a horse ride one year and she was in really bad shape. I just remember everybody showing up, everybody being there: “What can I do? How can I [help]?” Me and my sister were pretty young, and the community rallied together.
When you need support now, what does that look like?
Prayer, honestly. There’s been times where I’ve been really tired, but I know how big these opportunities are, and the one thing I felt would get me through is people lifting me up in prayer. There’s been a lot of texts from me to folks in my community saying, “Hey, if you don’t mind … just lift me up today.”
Lainey Wilson at the 67th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 2, 2025. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Things changed so quickly for you in terms of your fame. When did that really hit you?
A couple years ago, I remember selling, like, 87 tickets in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. And then a few months later, I was at the New York State Fair, and we had record attendance with 50,000 people. I was getting ready for the show that day, and I was peeking out of the bus window, and I saw a few people putting their lawn chairs out. Then before I went on stage, somebody came on the bus and was like, “You’re not gonna believe how many people are out there.” That was one of the first moments for me where I was like, “Click your boots together — we’re not in Baskin anymore.”
When you’re writing a song, who is it for? You, your audience or both?
I write about my own personal experiences, but I love hearing stories about other people. I love writing music for my hometown, for the girls, for people who feel like they don’t have a voice, for people who feel like they don’t know how to communicate what they’re feeling. I write for the people that live and love and hurt, and I write for my younger self to show myself everything I’ve learned. I think music has a healing power. … It’s a universal language. It makes you feel something, and we all want to feel something. It’s much larger than we will ever know. I’m very fortunate that I get to do it, so I definitely don’t take that lightly. I’m learning that what I say is just as important as what I sing, and what you sing is very important.
Can you remember a time when music healed you?
I was in sixth grade the first time I heard “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. It might have been one of the very first songs I felt in my heart. It felt like I could do whatever I set my mind to, and I knew I wanted to make other people feel that way too. It healed something in me that day, even as a sixth grader. It was a weird feeling.
Whether it’s Grammy winner Taylor Swift or star NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the biggest names in pop culture have made it their business to make the world a better place. It’s not unusual for celebrities to donate to charities — Swift, 34, has contributed millions to causes close to her heart throughout her decades-long career […]
Have fans shared similar experiences with you?
All the time. I feel grateful that a lot of them feel comfortable enough to share that. I say, “Thank you for the compliment, but just so you know, I’m just the vessel for the music.” It’s wild to hear what the fans have to say — they were in dark, bad spots, and then heard “Heart Like a Truck” or whatever it was, and it helped pull them out of the hole. So I feel a responsibility. If I was given this gift, I need to make sure I’m sharing it the right way.
In 2023, you were the first woman to win CMA Entertainer of the Year in over a decade. Why do you think it’s been so hard for women to get to that level of success in country music?
That is a loaded question. I’ve known since I moved to Nashville in 2011 that there are going to be some barn doors I was going to have to go kick down myself, that nobody was going to do it [for me]. It was truly a bitter pill that I swallowed a long time ago. So in the times when I felt like maybe it’s a little bit harder just because I’m a girl, that’s when I dug in deeper and worked harder. The only reason I’m even here in this position is because of what the women before me have done — those other women who have continually knocked barn doors down for each other. And we’re gonna have to keep doing it generations on. We have no choice.
How do you help newer artists who are coming up?
Being a listening ear, sharing the wisdom that was passed along to me from people like Reba [McEntire] and Dolly [Parton], who were more than willing to give me that wisdom from the goodness of their heart. Everything they say, I bottle it up. I’m like, “OK, these women have done something right, and they are where they are because of the things they’ve learned along the way.” So I try to pass that along to other girls and help pull them over that wall, mention their names in interviews.
Lainey Wilson with her fiancé, Duck Hodges, at the 57th annual CMA Awards in Nashville on November 8, 2023. Jason Kempin/Getty Images
How is wedding planning coming along?
We need to start, that’s the problem. No, it’s funny! I’ve been so busy this year that we’re like, “We’re gonna figure it out, for sure!” He’s such a good dude. He is my best friend. He’s my biggest cheerleader. We lift each other up. He understands that this life is full of a lot of late nights and travel, and we might be ships passing in the night, but he’s always my rock through it all. He’s my home, no matter where we are. I feel like my blood pressure comes down, and he’s a safe place to land. I can just let loose.
You’re still so good at writing classic country heartbreak songs, but you’re in this happy, supportive relationship!
Just like every girl, every now and then we’re reminded of terrible relationships we were in, so it’s real easy for me to tap back into that. He makes it really easy for me to write a love song nowadays… but part of being a songwriter is being able to step back into a pair of shoes you wore years before or somebody else’s. I write with such incredible people, and they definitely help me dive a little deeper.
When can we expect new music?
I’m always working for the next thing, so hopefully sooner rather than later. I’ve been writing a bunch. It’s fun to go to these different cities, look outside your window and be in a different place every day, and be able to take advantage of that and be creative in these different parts of the world. Everywhere you can imagine, we’re writing a song about it.
For more with Wilson, pick up the Humankind Issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
