Lainey Wilson Celebrates the Highs and Lows, and True Love, on ‘Whirlwind’

Photo byEric Ryan Anderson

Lainey Wilson‘s Whirlwind album is out now. The 14-track record is, in many ways, a summation of Wilson’s life over the past few years, especially since her sophomore Bell Bottom Country album came out in 2022.

“Whirlwind is kind of the Western sister of Bell Bottom Country,” Wilson says. “Since that album, I have gotten to experience so many new things and meet folks from different walks of life. Because of that, I’ve become a better songwriter, and I have more understanding. I feel like I’ve truly stepped into what it is that I’m called to be doing. Ironically, I found my path within all the craziness—and that’s the whirlwind.”

Wilson co-wrote all of the songs on Whirlwind, including her “Good Horses” collaboration with Miranda Lambert, and her current Top 15 single, “Hang Tight Honey.” For Wilson, it’s important to take listeners on a journey with all of her songs, telling a story in a way that only she can tell.

Photo byCourtesy of BBR Music Group

“I don’t know any better,” Wilson tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I don’t know any different. I knew that I was going to chase this thing no matter what. Even if still nothing was happening, I’d still be chasing it. I didn’t know exactly what it was going to look like. And I had a feeling at a very early age that I was going to be in this industry. I was going to tell stories.

“I got bit by the storytelling bug from my parents sitting around the kitchen table and telling stories from their childhood about an alligator or this or whatever it was, and me and my sister would be like, ‘Tell us that story again,'” she continues. “And every single time we would hear it, it’s like I would hear something new about it that I didn’t before. I’d laugh in a certain place that I didn’t the time before and I just loved storytelling.”

For the first time ever, Wilson included love songs on an album, thanks to her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Devlin “Duck” Hodges.

Photo byCourtesy of NBC

“I finally found a guy that gives me a run for my money,” Wilson shares. “And he’s my biggest cheerleader. He’s just a good person. And he knows how important chasing down a dream is because even when he was a little boy, football was his life.”

Now retired, Hodges played professional football for several years, fulfilling a dream few people get to achieve.

“He did it,” Wilson boasts. “He tried out for the Steelers and made the team. He achieved what he set out to do. And so he knows. We met at a time where he was still playing with them, but then it all changed. So it was weird. It was like his life was changing as my life was changing and we were going different directions … It was wild. You would think that somebody couldn’t handle that.”

Wilson has already said that “Hang Tight Honey” was inspired by Hodges, who remains her biggest supporter as her career continues to gain momentum.

“Life for us is a whirlwind,” the Grand Ole Opry member says. “I mean, it’s not normal. We don’t get to see each other as often as some couples do, but we also know that what we have is very special.”

Wilson also shared her thoughts on Whirlwind being out on social media, admitting that she was at a loss for words when it came time to articulate how she felt about the record.

“I’ve been trying to sit down for a while now and talk about what this record means to me but the truth is I feel like this record says it all,” Wilson writes. “I’ve grown so much in the past few years and I have such a different view of love and life and loss. The highs and lows of the whirlwind have taught me a lot about what’s important and how to never give up on trying to find your inner peace.

“I think you’ll hear what I mean when you listen. Hope it means something to you too,” she adds.

Wilson is currently headlining her Country’s Cool Again Tour. See a track list for Whirlwind below. Fnd all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows at LaineyWilson.com.

Read ‘Lainey Wilson: 11 Things to Know About Her Extraordinary Life and Career’ here.

Whirlwind Track List:

1. Keep Up With Jones (Lainey Wilson, Josh Kear, Wyatt McCubbin)
2. Country’s Cool Again (Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Aslan Freeman)
3. Good Horses (feat. Miranda Lambert) (Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick)
4. Broken Hearts Still Beat (Lainey Wilson, Dallas Wilson, Josh Thompson, Blake Pendergrass)
5. Whirlwind (Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson)
6. Call A Cowboy (Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson)
7. Hang Tight Honey (Lainey Wilson, Driver Williams, Jason Nix, Paul Sikes)
8. Bar In Baton Rouge (Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Kasey Tyndall, Jason Nix)
9. Counting Chickens (Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Josh Kear, Dallas Wilson, Jon Decious)
10. 4x4xU (Lainey Wilson, Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere)
11. Ring Finger (Lainey Wilson, Aaron Raitiere, Marti Dodson, Jon Decious)
12. Middle Of It (Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson)
13. Devil Don’t Go There (Lainey Wilson, Abram Dean, Lance Miller, Joe Fox)
14. Whiskey Colored Crown (Lainey Wilson, Josh Kear, Wyatt McCubbin)