For Country Star Lainey Wilson, Life’s All About ‘Knowing Who You Are, Standing Up For What You Believe In, And Keeping Your People Close’

When she’s home, which is not that often, Lainey Wilson lives in a modern farmhouse off a country road on the outskirts of Nashville. It’s a long way from the camper trailer she lived in for her first three years in town, but it’s not the kind of grand estate you might expect from one of the biggest names in country music. From the outside, it looks like a lot of the other houses in this part of Tennessee—practical, charming, connected to the land.

But when you step through the front door, the interiors tell a different story. The foyer welcomes you with shiny metallic wallpaper plus a leopard-print stair runner. Two tall, gold-plated steer horns frame the fireplace, and an abstract painting of a cowboy is mounted over the dining room table. Her space is funky, colorful, and full of surprises. “I always say that this house is kind of like the inverse of me because I feel like a farmhouse on the inside but a hippie on the outside,” Lainey explains. “And I feel like my house is a farmhouse but a hippie on the inside, you know?”

In some ways, this rural getaway is a throwback to the farm she grew up on in Baskin, Louisiana, a tiny town of just over 200 people in the northeast corner of the state. Her father, a fifth-generation farmer, planted corn, wheat, oats, and soybeans and often worked from dawn to dusk. Lainey doesn’t put in that kind of time on her Tennessee patch of land, but she has inherited the same work ethic, performing dozens or even hundreds of shows a year.

She’s also been racking up plenty of awards lately, proving that her efforts have all been worth it. In 2024, she got a Grammy for her album Bell Bottom Country, and a few months before that, she won Entertainer of the Year at the 2023 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards. Her most recent album is called Whirlwind, which says a lot about what her life looks like these days. She had a recurring role in the fifth season of Yellowstone, her first acting gig, and in 2026, she’ll make her film debut in Reminders of Him, adapted from the best-selling book by Colleen Hoover. Last year, she cohosted the CMA Awards, and on November 19, she’ll be back to host them again. Her dance card, as they say, is full.

Photographer: David McClister; Wardrobe Styling: Raina Gir; Hair and Makeup: Afton Williams; Prop Styling: Colson Horton

In the midst of all this, Lainey graciously invited Southern Living into her home for a rare photo shoot and a recording of our podcast Biscuits & Jam. For the interview, we headed down to the basement, which feels like a cozy, kitschy speakeasy. There’s a bar that’s stocked with bourbon, tequila, and moonshine and a couple of porcelain cheetahs guarding a cabinet full of old records. Like Lainey, the room doesn’t take itself too seriously, and she made me feel right at home as we sat in a pair of plush chairs and started talking. Here are some excerpts from our conversation.

Sid Evans: How do you stay grounded when you have so much going on?

Lainey Wilson: Oh my goodness. Well, I will tell you this. I think the thing that has helped me keep one foot on the ground is just keeping my people close—the ones that know Lainey and not Lainey Wilson. I go home to Baskin, and everybody’s trying to stop by and see me. But it’s not because of everything that’s going on; it’s just because they want to stop by and see me, you know? And just making sure that I’m taking the time to do the things that make me feel like Lainey, the sister and friend and daughter.

SE: Talk to me about this space. Is this a creative space for you? Is this a retreat?

LW: For so long, I’ve said, “When I get a place of my own, I want to walk in and just see a bunch of different colors and feel inspired and creative.” I write a lot of songs in this area. I get to look at these velvet paintings on the wall, I see Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton over here, and I wanna feel inspired.

SE: You’ve written songs in here?

LW: Oh, yeah. Most of the Whirlwind record was written either here at this house or on the road. When I’m [in Nashville], I want to be here. I’ve worked really hard on this house, and I’m proud of it. And it’s where I just feel really comfortable. My buddies will come over, and this kind of becomes a home for them too. We just enjoy ourselves, have a little drink at the bar, and try to take a swing at a song.

SE: Let’s go back to Baskin for just a second. When you get home, what do you like to do first? What’s on your priority list?

LW: Well, so it used to be going straight to Baskin first and seeing Mom and Daddy until my sister had kids. And now, I go straight to Monroe and see my little nephews, and then we all end up going to Baskin. And, man, we just love being outside. My horse turned 30 this year, so I think I just got my final ride on him. And there’s nothing like driving down my hometown road—and the highway they just named after me in Baskin.

SE: Well, that’s pretty cool.

LW: Same place that I got a ticket when I was 15 years old. I was like, “Nana nana boo boo.” But yeah, my granny lives like a mile from my parents. And I just go sit down with her for a little bit—kind of catch up, take it easy, and do all the things that I grew up doing. Even this past weekend, me and my sister were cleaning my granny’s house and just doing what we’ve always done. And I don’t know any other way.

SE: It felt good, I’m sure, to be just away from it all.

LW: For sure. It just reminds you what’s really important. And this is all very, very important, [meaning] my job, but it’s [also] very important for me to not put all my self-worth into what I do. I know who I am, the Lord knows who I am, and I try to live by that. I think it’s always about just planting your feet where they are and knowing who you are, standing up for what you believe in, and keeping your people close. I mean, that’s been my method to this madness.

SE: I wanted to [go back to] your horse real quick. His name is Tex, right? What was your connection to him, and what’s your connection now?

LW: We grew up together, to be honest. When my daddy brought him to the house…I was somewhere around 9, and this horse had never been ridden. And my daddy knew that I could hold on. He was like, “All right, climb up there.” And so I remember the horse just bucking and acting crazy. And I just remember my mama [saying], “Pull back; pull back.” And I’m little, weak Lainey trying to pull back and hold on. And it’s so weird because I feel like I have gone back to that moment in my life so many different times. I mean, I’ve been in Nashville 15 years now, and I think about the music business trying to throw me off at so many different times, and I just keep holding on and holding on.

Photographer: David McClister; Wardrobe Styling: Raina Gir; Hair and Makeup: Afton Williams; Prop Styling: Colson Horton

A Country Thanksgiving

SE: Lainey, this story is gonna come out around Thanksgiving, which is such a busy time of year for you. When you think about Thanksgiving at your house, what does that scene look like?

LW: Oh my gosh. Look, even if there are six people coming over, my mama’s cooking for an army. That’s how it feels. I’m like, Lord, we’re gonna have leftovers for three years. But yeah, it’s normally folks from my mama’s side of the family and my daddy’s side. My mama has a much larger family, so it’s all of her siblings, most of their kids, and then their kids now. And they like to have a good time too. Normally, there’s turkey [and] stuffing, and—every now and then—we’ll just do steaks and baked potatoes. And you’re probably gonna hear my belly growl in a minute. But yeah, they can whip it up for sure. I didn’t get that gene. I could mess up Hot Pockets. I mean, it’s really that bad. My fiancé definitely likes me for a lot of other reasons, because if he was dependent on my cooking, he’d be gone by now. So I feel like I can read directions and do it, but I don’t have that little Louisiana touch like the rest of my folks.

SE: So your fiancé, [Devlin Hodges,] his name is Duck—or his nickname is Duck. Can he cook?

LW: He can cook. He’s an Alabama boy, so he knows how to whip it up.

SE: I also know that he was a champion duck caller.

LW: World-champion duck caller—that’s what did it for me.

SE: That had to be something that impressed you a little bit.

LW: Yeah. I mean, I won’t lie to you. I was like, okay, that’s the real deal right there. I knew he enjoyed duck hunting. Then once I got to know him, even after he told me he was a world-champion duck caller, he told me that that’s not even why he got the nickname Duck.

SE: It’s not?

LW: He said he was playing football at Samford [University], and the coach there [said], “You remind me of one of my favorite quarterbacks ever, and his name was Duck.” And he had a really good season that year. And so the whole team started saying, “It’s Duck season; it’s Duck season!” So that’s how he got Duck.

SE: Well, he sure has backed up the nickname.

LW: He sure has. On our first date, I told him that people call me Goose. I was lying, but he fell for it. I think he was like, “Oh, I’m in love.”

Photographer: David McClister; Wardrobe Styling: Raina Gir; Hair and Makeup: Afton Williams; Prop Styling: Colson Horton

On Her Young Superfans

SE: I wanted to ask you about the next generation, and particularly the girls that you’re talking to. What’s the message that you want them to hear?

LW: You know, of course I write music for myself. A lot of it is coming from my perspective, but it is important for me to be talking to that kid in the back row, because that little kid in the back row was me at one point. When I’m writing music, I want them to know that I’ve been at this a long time. I’m 33 years old. I wrote my first song at 9 years old. I started playing guitar at 11. I moved to Nashville when I was 19. I was here for seven years before I got a publishing deal. And then that’s when the hard work really started. So a lot of my songs are about resilience and rolling your sleeves up and things like that. And it’s not like I’m purposefully trying to put that message in the song. It just comes out because I think that is the life that I’ve lived. I don’t know any other way.

SE: You’ve got some songs about having fun.

LW: I do. Because I’ve had a lot of fun too. I ain’t gonna lie to you about that. “Bell Bottoms Up,” baby.