Lainey Wilson says that her signature look isn't just something for her image. The 33-year-old "Somewhere Over Laredo" singer says it's also her superhero costume.
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"When I have the bell-bottoms on and the hat goes on, that's when I feel like, 'Now I can whoop some a**,'" she told Us Weekly in a cover story.
The interview comes during a big week for Wilson. This week, she is stepping into the role of host for the 59th Annual CMA Awards—the first woman to host solo since Reba McEntire in 1991—and she is also a six-time nominee.
But Wilson believes what defines her is her goodwill. "Kindness might be one of my superpowers," she said. "Kindness has definitely gotten me a lot further than the opposite."
Lainey Wilson Wants To Give Back
Just as Wilson was rising up the country music ranks, she founded the Heart Like a Truck Fund to support the causes she cares about. It has raised over $600,000 and donated to over 80 organizations since it began in 2023.
She also works with Musically Fed, which distributes leftover food from her concerts to homeless communities in the cities where she plays.
"Every city that the tour has stopped in, we've been able to help all these different organizations," she said. "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."
Wilson Credits the Women Who Came Before Her for Her Success
A woman hosting the CMA Awards by herself is rare, and it can be difficult for a woman to succeed in country music. She said she knew when she moved to Music City in 2011 that she would have to kick down some "barn doors" to succeed.
"It was truly a bitter pill that I swallowed a long time ago," she said. "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."
You can watch Wilson host the 59th Annual CMA Awards live tonight on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. It will also be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
