WHAT WOULD LAINEY DO?

She would give back, that's what! After a whirlwind few years, Lainey Wilson seems to have it all — and she's more than happy to share with others

- ELIZA THOMPSON

Lainey Wilson is the most popular female country artist in a decade.

She's released five studio albums — 2024's Whirlwind is her latest — racking up Grammys and CMA Awards and selling out arenas globally. That's no small feat in a world where country radio is king and rarely plays two female artists back to back. In 2023, she was named Entertainer of the Year at the CMAs, becoming the first woman to win in more than 10 years. She’s nominated for three Grammys at the 2026 awards — and, keeping on theme, is the only woman nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.

Wilson, 33, is thriving in other arenas, too. Her longtime boyfriend, Devlin “Duck” Hodges, popped the question this year, and she’s continuing her acting career in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's Reminders of You. Wilson made her onscreen debut with a recurring role on Yellowstone in 2022, playing aspiring country singer Abby, a part creator Taylor Sheridan based on her own life. Both women rock what Wilson refers to as her superhero costume: “When I have the bell-bottoms on and the hat goes on, that’s when I feel like, ‘Now I can whoop some ass,” she tells Us.

But that’s not the stuff that defines her.

Wilson says nothing would be possible without philanthropy. In 2023, as her career was taking off, she founded the Heart Like a Truck Fund under the Middle Tennessee Community Foundation to support causes that can change people's lives. “My family taught me to treat the janitor like you would the CEO,” says Wilson, who's made goodwill part of her everyday routine. Among her charitable efforts is her work with Musically Fed, which takes leftover food from her gigs and distributes it to the unhoused community in whatever city she’s playing. Since its inception, HLAT has raised over $600,000 and donated to over 80 organizations.