Lainey Wilson is among the hottest young country singers around. There is no question. Now 33, she was born to sing. People love her voice, western-style, bell-bottom fashions with a modern twist, and laid-back attitude. Songs like "Heart Like A Truck" and "Hang Tight Honey" have brought her well-deserved fame and accolades. Wilson has some ideas about what made country cool again. As far as I'm concerned, it's the energizing presence of artists just like her. There's also Ella Langley, Riley Green, Zach Top, and a host of other talented vocalists who are bringing their personalities and power to stages nationwide. But let's hear what Lainey Wilson has to say.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Lainey Wilson Credits A Red-Hot TV Drama For Stoking The Popularity Of Country Music
Wilson is in a position to know about what is making country music so hot lately. Per Gold Derby, she feels that the intense popularity of the TV drama Yellowstone brought all things country-themed to the fore. That is a plausible theory. In 1980, the film Urban Cowboy with John Travolta and Debra Winger did much the same thing. Great music, trendy fashions, and showcasing the country lifestyle.
Wilson's music has been used on the show and she has acted in it as well. She said, "And I think Yellowstone in general has changed the game for country music. I think it's kind of made it cool again, which it should have never not been cool."
She added, "And it's cool to see. I mean, people are pulling out their cowboy hats, they're wanting to ride horses. It's a really cool way of life to be a part of. It's a way of life that I grew up in."
Wilson feels that the "Yellowstone mindset" is based on "the heartbreak and the cowboys and the self-assurance and faith." And those are key elements of country music too.
She Did A Song About Country Being Cool Again
In 2024, Wilson co-wrote and recorded a song called "Country's Cool Again." The lyrics include lines like "Doggone, dadgum it, didn't see that coming / Country's cool again...." She also named her tour Country's Cool Again. And she helped make it that way, along with Yellowstone! As Wilson said to the outlet, " It feels really cool to be a part of what's happening right now."
