Lainey Wilson

Singer and songwriter Lainey Wilson blends tough-as-nails grit and tenderhearted sentiment in contemporary country tunes with more than a touch of traditionalism. Born in 1992, she was raised on the classics in the tiny town of Baskin, LA: “I knew that country music for me and my family was more than just a genre,” Wilson tells Apple Music. “It literally is what we lived.” She started writing songs before she hit her teen years and took a gig impersonating Hannah Montana in high school, eventually moving to Nashville to chase her dreams in 2011. But breakout success wouldn’t come until nearly a decade later with 2020’s thoughtful kiss-off “Things a Man Oughta Know,” which established Wilson as a smart writer and stirring performer. Her songs might be solidly modern in production, but they also reveal Wilson’s extensive knowledge of the genre’s history, winking at her ‘90s predecessors on 2022’s “Heart Like a Truck” or revitalizing the funky ‘70s for 2024’s “Country’s Cool Again,” solidifying her appeal to multiple generations.