Once upon a time, Lainey Wilson didn't have any interest in love songs. But then she fell in love with her Devlin "Duck" Hodges, a former professional football player, and everything changed. It's Hodges, whom Wilson has been dating since 2021, who inspired her to tap into her romantic side.
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"The truth is, I write what I know, and I finally found a man worth writing about," Wilson says (via Songfacts). "So you know it's a love song because y'all probably thought, 'Dang, she ain't got it in her, she ain't got it in her'... but I do. I got me a cheerleader."
Wilson's latest album, Whirlwind, is the first time Wilson was able to include authentic love songs. The record not only includes "4X4XU," but also her recent hit single, "Hang Tight Honey."
"I do feel like it's going to show a different side of me," Wilson tells Audacy's Katie & Company. "I am in love, which is weird for me. I'm actually able to write those kind of songs. I will say, I don't think I will ever be the kind of love songwriter that's going to be like mushy-gushy, pour my heart out to you. I think it's going to be more like, I'm a strong woman, and I got a man who's okay with it kind of thing. I'm excited to share this side of my life."
Devlin "Duck" Hodges
Hodges was with Wilson from before her career took off. Fortunately, her recent series of successes has only made their relationship stronger, with no one cheering her on more than Hodges.
"Duck is the kind of dude who high-fives me on the way in the door and on the way out and says, 'Go get it'," Wilson tells People. "He knows how important this dream is to me. I was never really able to write love songs, because I don't know if I had actually felt it, but I'm writing me some love songs now. I'm grateful for him."
Although Wilson's financial situation has changed significantly in recent years, one of the earliest things she was attracted to with Hodges was the way he liked to save money.
"We went to this old place called Silverados, and it had free beer and wine from 5- 10 p.m.," she recalls of one of their early dates. "I was like, 'This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is going to work out.' "
