Lainey Wilson's star has been on the rise in country music for the past few years, but she has also made her mark in the television world — particularly on the Paramount Network drama, Yellowstone. Her relationship with the show began when show creator Taylor Sheridan featured her music on the series, and last season, she earned a starring role with a character created specifically for her. Wilson reflected on her "crazy" journey on a recent episode of Apple Music Country's Trailblazer's Radio with Fancy Hagood.
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Wilson shares that when Yellowstone first featured her music on the show, she didn't even have a record deal. That began a relationship that blossomed into more opportunities.
"They were looking for music for season 2, and Mandelyn, my manager, she pitched my music to him through WME," Wilson explains. "Taylor Sheridan heard the song and Andrea von Foerster, who's the music supervisor. They liked it. It was before I had even signed a record deal, and after that, they ended up inviting me out to Vegas to play a horse reining competition."
"That's where I got to meet Taylor, and we bonded because I grew up riding horses," she says. "I just really respect him"
Fast forward to summer of 2022 and Wilson is announced as a new cast member on season 5 of the Western-themed show, playing a musician named Abby. Wilson detailed the conversation she had with Sheridan when he invited her to the cast, and she recalls why he wanted to create a character specifically for the singer.
"He called me in February of last year, and he said, 'Lainey, I got this idea,'" Wilson explains. "He said, 'I want to create a character specifically for you,' and he said, 'I want you to wear your bell-bottoms. I want you to sing your own songs and pretty much be yourself, but go by a musician named Abby.'"
"The thought of it was scary, but I think it was all my mama's prayers," she adds.
While it's finally confirmed that Yellowstone will return for the second half of season 5, fans of Wilson's character are still waiting to find out if she will be returning. In fact, Wilson doesn't know if she'll be returning, herself. In her latest update about the situation, the singer said she's still "waiting on that phone call," Country Now reports.
