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Lainey Wilson is “still pinchin myself” over one of her latest performances.
The reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year took the stage to pay tribute to Miley Cyrus on Sunday (August 11) in Anaheim, California. Cyrus, 31, made history as the youngest person to become a Disney Legend at the D23 event. The Grammy-winning artist kickstarted her career when she starred as Hannah Montana in the early 2000s. Cyrus’ character lived a double life as a typical teen and a famous pop star.
Wilson, 32, covered “Best of Both Worlds,” a classic Hannah Montana anthem, when she introduced Cyrus to the stage to deliver a heartfelt speech as she became a Disney Legend. Cyrus’ older sister, Brandi Cyrus, 37 — an actress and DJ who recently released a remixed version of Wilson’s “Wild Flowers and Wild Horses” — shared a video of Wilson’s performance on her Instagram story on Sunday. Brandi said it was “too iconic” that Wilson covered “Best of Both Worlds.” Wilson reshared the video on her own Instagram story and wrote that she’s “still pinchin myself about this.”
It was a full-circle moment for the Bell Bottom Country artist. Wilson previously worked as a Hannah Montana impersonator. The Baskin, Louisiana-born singer-songwriter opened the show with her original music, and returned to the stage to perform beloved songs from Cyrus’ breakout Disney Channel role.
Wilson shared a few photos and videos from D23 on Instagram on Monday (August 12), including a video of her “Best of Both Worlds” performance on the third slide. She wrote in her caption that she “got the best of both worlds that’s for sure🌎 From performing as Hannah Montana on flat bed trailers at birthday parties to honoring the legend herself…now that right there is what ya call a full circle moment. [Miley Cyrus] you’re such an inspiration. Thank you for letting me honor you. Still pinching myself about last night. 🕺 🪩”
“I had a teacher who asked me to put on a Hannah Montana wig and show up at her little girl’s birthday party. Well, of course, I took it too far,” Wilson said with a laugh as she spoke with Robin Roberts for the Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country special that’s streaming on Hulu and Disney+. “I had the wig. I had the portable sound system. And I would open up for myself. …I would be like, ‘Hey y’all, I’m Lainey Wilson, blah, blah, blah.’ I’d sing a few songs that I wrote, and then I’d go backstage or wherever the backstage area was — that might mean somebody’s bedroom at somebody’s house — and throw on my Hannah Montana getup and get out there, and put on like a 15-song concert.
“I mean, I would do 3-year-old birthday parties one day and I’d be playing (at a) nursing home the next day,” Wilson continued So I had to learn, how you speak to 3-year-olds is not how you speak to the elderly. You know, like you have to learn your audience. And it taught me a lot.”
When asked in an in-depth interview with Glamour about songs she’d cover, in light of her Bell Bottom Country rendition of “What’s Up?,” Wilson replied: “I'm a big Rolling Stones fan. Truthfully, a lot of their stuff kind of sounds country. I love that grittiness, I love that rawness. At some point in time, me and Miley Cyrus have to work together.”
Wilson recently released the sole collaboration on her soon-to-debut record, Whirlwind. The highly-anticipated follow-up to Bell Bottom Country includes “Good Horses” with Miranda Lambert, in addition to “Hang Tight Honey,” “4x4xU” and “Country’s Cool Again,” the title of Wilson’s ongoing headlining tour. Whirlwind is set to arrive on August 23.