Lainey Wilson is a bona fide superstar. She's glamorous, talented, and fans really love her. She defines what country music is these days with songs like "Heart Like A Truck" and "Things A Man Oughta Know." She nabbed Entertainer of the Year honors from both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Wow!
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But the gravy train wasn't always running for her.
Before she hit big, Lainey holed up in a camper in a friend's apartment's parking lot, waiting for career lightning to strike. From those modest beginnings, Lainey Wilson forged a path for herself that's the stuff of a Hollywood movie. Now she's the acknowledged voice of "bell bottom country."
How did she get from point A to point B? We're happy to tell you!
Lainey Wilson Started Out Small
She Was A Hannah Montana Impersonator
Per Whiskey Riff, Lainey was a Hannah Montana impersonator (the character made famous by Miley Cyrus). Before she would switch into the role, Lainey would begin by performing as herself, presenting her own music to audiences.
Then Lainey Wilson sang with a band in Louisiana, her home state. But she dreamed of more, much more. It would take plenty of hard work and sacrifice.
Life In A Camper Was Anything But Plush
She Put Up With Roughing It
Lainey wanted to be where the action was, so she plunked down the bucks for a camper and high-tailed it to Nashville. As Whisky Riff reported via the Just Being ERNEST podcast, Lainey put up with lots of discomfort.
"When I decided I needed to be here full time, I ended up buying a camper trailer and moving it to Nashville. I lived in it the first three years I was here and finished college in it...It was a Flagstaff, it was like a 20-foot bumper pull. It did have a shower, but I flooded it at one point and then the floor started rotting out. I was always having problems with it."
You really have to want something badly to live like that. And at the time, Lainey Wilson felt the inconvenience and misery were worth it.
The Hardships Lainey Wilson Endured
Loneliness, Isolation, and Awful Weather Plagued Her
She spoke candidly about her travails. "There has been some dark days for me. I was very lonely. I didn't know hardly anybody in town. Tornadoes would roll through, the tornado sirens would be going off. The winters were cold, I'd have to sleep in three or four jackets, three pairs of socks just to stay warm."
There were a few bright spots amid the anguish. She met a wanna-be star named Luke Combs and they wrote songs together. And Lainey did eventually make it to the top. We sure are glad that she never gave up and followed her dream and her heart!
