Country music sensation Lainey Wilson is opening up about her journey from small-town Louisiana to the big stage, sharing fond memories of her early years in music.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Wilson recalled how she began chasing her musical dreams after writing her first song at just 9 years old. Determined to perform anywhere she could, she sang in unexpected venues, including Walmart aisles, nursing homes, and even on flatbed trailers.
“I’d play anywhere they let me,” she laughed. “My parents would say, ‘Hey, Lainey, sing that song you wrote last week,’ and I’d just do it.”
Growing up in Baskin, Louisiana—a town of just 200 people—Wilson was inspired by the local culture of storytelling, which fueled her passion for songwriting. One of her early tracks, “Country Girls Rule,” even made it to a late-night show performance.
Interestingly, before her rise to country music fame, Wilson spent much of her teenage years impersonating Miley Cyrus’ iconic Disney character, Hannah Montana, a chapter of her life that shaped her unique career path.
