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Lainey Wilson moved to Nashville in 2011, and some people might have thought she was “crazy” for pursuing big dreams of singing country music. Though she admitted in a message to her younger self that “you might be a little bit” crazy, she knows it was all worth it: “(Put in the) elbow grease, faith, and you’re gonna be OK. Just tell the truth, write the truth, and let your light shine.”
Wilson said that at the Academy of Country Music Awards at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Monday night (March 7). As she held her two awards — New Female Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, for “Things A Man Oughta Know” — Wilson reflected on her decade-long journey. “If I could talk to Lainey who moved to Nashville in 2011 in a camper trailer, I’d say, a lot of people are gonna think you’re crazy — and you might be, a little bit — but put int he time, roll up your sleeves. (Put in the) elbow grease, faith, and you’re gonna be OK. Just tell the truth, write the truth, and let your light shine,” she said, joking as she felt tears of joy coming: “I’d say, ‘quit crying, you little sissy!’ No, I’d just say, 'it’s all gonna work out the way it’s supposed to.' I’m here and I deserve to be here, and that’s a damn good feeling.”
The “Things A Man Oughta Know” singer isn’t slowing down any time soon. Wilson doesn’t “know if I’ll ever be fully prepared” for the year that lies ahead of her after winning two ACM Awards, but she's excited about what’s coming up for her: “They do say it’s a 10-year town, and dang it, if ’Things A Man Oughta Know’ didn’t go No. 1 like, almost 10 years and a month to the date. I don’t know what this next year is gonna look like, but if it feels anything like this, I think I’m freakin’ ready. Let’s go!”
“I got more to say. I got a lot to say,” Wilson said. “I just am so glad y’all are along for the ride. It’s gonna be a damn good one, so hop on. Toot toot, let’s go!”