Lainey Wilson Defends Her Louisiana Accent, Reveals How She Stays Humble

Lainey Wilson is well known for her signature bell bottoms, but if you don’t see her, you’ll surely be able to pick her out in a crowd by her voice. She’s a Baskin, Louisiana native through and through, and if anyone tries to dispute the authenticity of her country roots, she’ll let her accent do the talking.

Is Lainey Wilson’s Accent Real?

The country music community has come to know the 31-year-old better than ever in recent years and without fail, the consensus is that she is one of the most honest, prideful, and humble members of the industry. However, as she explained to Glamour in a recent interview, people weren’t as welcoming of her twang-filled dialect in the beginning. 

 “I think sometimes, especially when people were first getting introduced to me, they heard my accent and immediately thought, ‘There’s no way this girl could be that country,’” she says.

Defending Her Roots

Wilson was quick to admit that she’s ready to shut down any kind of negative allegations that might suggest she’s not the person she presents to the world.  

“The truth is, you can say anything you want to about me, but when you start talking about my accent, I’m ready to fight somebody because then I start feeling you’re talking about my family.”

To the “Heart Like A Truck” singer, being authentically country has everything to do with the people and place that raised you, which in her case is a town populated with around 184 people, as reported by Data USA.

“When you grow up somewhere like I did with the kind of people that I did, you can’t help but to be country. You can’t escape it no matter if you move eight hours away like I did. Country music was the soundtrack of our lives. We lived it out.”

Along with introducing her to the magic of true country storytelling, this environment taught Wilson the value of generosity and what being a “good person” actually looks like.

She continued, “To me, country is being a good person. I think ‘giving people the shirt off your back’ kind of people, the people who don’t take no shit, but the people who will love you and lift you up. When I think about country folks, I think about hard work. I think about people who get up with the sun and then go to bed in the wee hours of the morning. I take being country as a huge compliment because it’s the truth.”

Staying Grounded Amid The Major Awards And Constant Hits

When she’s not being crowned CMA Entertainer of the Year or selling out venues across the country, Wilson says she stays grounded by keeping a close grasp on her roots. Finding the time to return to Louisiana is likely getting more and more difficult these days, but luckily she found a way to bring the same comfort to her Tennessee home, which she describes as a “farmhouse on the outside and hippie on the inside.”

“For me, it’s being at home, getting up, making my coffee, sitting on the front porch, watching the cows out in the front pasture, watching the sheep in the backyard. Also, FaceTiming with my nephews, that they’ll keep you real humble,” she said while describing her best methods of relaxation. “It’s just about surrounding yourself with people who feel like family, too, even if they’re not blood kin. I love bonfires, I love having a glass of whiskey, talking to the Lord, getting grounded, meditating. The truth is these past couple of years I’ve spent very little time at home. And so, you just find ways to make yourself feel at home when you’re not actually there.”

Music has also proved to be a great outlet for her to mentally put herself back in her childhood and remind her of her Western side. This is evident in her current radio single, “Wildflowers And Wild Horses,” which she performed live during the 57^th CMA Awards more recently, on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Soon Lainey Wilson will be bringing this song and many more from her collection on the road for the upcoming Country’s Cool Again Tour.  The trek kicks off May 31 in Nashville, TN and includes 35 dates across the U.S. and Canada with the last stop being Monroe, LA on November 15.

Special guests Jackson Dean, Ian Munsick, and Zach Top will appear on select dates of the 2024 run. 

It was also recently announced that Wilson will perform at this year’s annual RODEOHOUSTON on Saturday, March 9.

Click HERE for a full list of Lainey Wilson’s upcoming performances.