Lainey Wilson ignited the Bridgestone Arena crowd with “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” one of her Bell Bottom Country anthems, during the 57th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday evening (November 8). The leading award nominee delivered her rendition standing before a massive ring of fire on the arena stage.
“I'm five generations of blazing a trail/ Through barbed wire valleys and overgrown dells/ I’m barefoot and bareback and born tough as nails/ Whoa, whoa, whoa/ I’m four-fifths of reckless and one-fifth of jack/ I push like a daisy through old sidewalk cracks/ Yeah, my kinda crazy's still running its courses with/ Wildflowers and wild horses”
Wilson released her highly-anticipated sophomore album, Bell Bottom Country, in October 2022. Originally a 14-track project, Bell Bottom Country included smash-hit singles “Watermelon Moonshine” and “Heart Like A Truck,” in addition to “Hold My Halo,” “Hillbilly Hippie,” a cover of “What’s Up (What’s Going On)” and other highlights. Wilson added two new tracks to the album — “New Friends” and “Smell Like Smoke” — following her acting debut in Yellowstone.
“It's cool to be able to write your story and your truth and get vulnerable and have people appreciate that. …The truth is, I mean, preparing for something like that is really scary,” Wilson said in a recent interview with iHeartCountry, when asked what it’s like to observe how her fans receive her music after spending so much time writing and recording it. “You're like, 'well, I mean, all I can do is do what I do and hope that folks like it.' But it seems like I just keep on getting surprised, and people are finding little pieces in each song to connect to and relate to. And a lot of people have shared their stories with me on why they love each song and why it means something different to them. And that's what country music's about. It's about making people feel like they're not alone. And I've known from a very early age that I was supposed to be doing this, and it feels really nice to just be embraced.”
Wilson will be embraced by fans across the globe in 2024. She announced earlier this week that she’s bringing her signature “country with a flare” to Australia and Europe, bringing Jackson Dean, Kameron Marlowe and Harper O’Neill. Following her international shows, Wilson is set to kick off her headlining “Country’s Cool Again Tour,” with Dean, Ian Munsick and Zach Top. Wilson is also included in the star-studded lineup of Chris Stapleton’s star-studded “All-American Road Show.”
Wilson was one of many artists in the star-studded lineup to perform during the CMA Awards. Other performers included Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Alan Jackson, Cody Johnson, Post Malone, Mac McAnally, Ashley McBryde, Morgan Wallen, The War And Treaty, Zac Brown Band, Jelly Roll, K. Michelle, Little Big Town, Megan Moroney, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton and Tanya Tucker. Wilson was also declared an early winner before Country Music’s Biggest Night kick off. HARDY marked his first-ever CMA victory when he won in the Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year categories for “wait in the truck,” a powerful collaboration featuring Wilson. During the show, she took home the awards for Album of the Year (Bell Bottom Country), Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, which she won for the first time.
The 57th CMA Awards is set to air live on ABC from Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT. It’s also available to listen on iHeartCountry Radio and on iHeartRadio Country stations nationwide. If you miss the live broadcast, the three-hour show is available next day on Hulu. Watch the performance here: