WATCH: Lainey Wilson Sings The First Song She Ever Wrote, ‘Lucky Me’
Lainey Wilson’s talent began to shine at just 9 years old.
Lainey Wilson; Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal
Before Lainey Wilson was a hitmaker, she was writing songs simply for the fun of it. As a young girl, she had no idea that she was preparing for a successful career ahead.
During a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the “Hillbilly Hippie” singer was asked if she recalled the first song she ever wrote. Without any hesitation, she said, “I Do,” and shared that the title was “Lucky Me.”
American Idol alum and host of the popular talk show, Kelly Clarkson, then revealed that the first song she ever wrote was called “Baby Blue Eyes.”
While chatting about their narratives, the country stars found a common theme.
“It was about a boy,” Clarkson said before Wilson added, “Yeah, mine was too.”
“I wrote mine at a sleepover, 9 years old,” Wilson continued. “[My friend] went to one room and I went to the other one and we were like ‘let’s write a song and come back and share it with each other.’”
“What cool 9 year old’s you [were]. Mine was later than that,” the “Stronger” singer said, shocked.
Clarkson was also curious about the other song penned by Wilson’s friend that same night. She asked, “was her song crap, and yours was really good?”
While weighing the imaginary options, Wilson insinuated that hers turned out better. “I mean, one ended up being a songwriter, one didn’t,” she joked.
When prompted to share a bit of the tune, Wilson warned that “it ain’t real good.” However, she cleared her throat and continued to share a few of the lovestruck lyrics anyway.
“Lucky me, I feel free / And I can’t deny that he loves me / Which I know, that he does / So he is the one / Lucky me, oh / I’m the one for him, and he’s the one for me, baby.”
Both Clarkson and the audience members cheered for the brief performance, revealed how impressed they were by her songwriting abilities from such a young age.
“I love that, that you were writing that at like 9 years old,” Clarkson said, emphasizing her talents.
Along with her undeniable musical abilities, Wilson also got the chance to discuss playing the role of Abby on the popular TV show, Yellowstone. When asked if acting has always been on her bucket list, Wilson replied, “You know what? Songwriting has always been my number one, no matter what. I mean, I wrote my first song at nine years old.”
She continued, “I’ve always, I’ve loved country music. I mean where I’m from, Northeast Louisiana, it’s a town of 200 people, a little town called Baskin. And we eat, sleep and breathe country music. So that was my focus, but when this opportunity came up, I mean, I was like, ‘this is gonna be a way for me to share my music with the world. You dang right I’m gonna take it.’”
Clarkson commended the singer/songwriter on stepping outside of her comfort zone and facing a new experience head-on.
“It’s an incredibly cool show,” the host began. “It’s important that you say ‘yes’ to things that maybe, you know, like you were like, ‘well, I didn’t think that, but look at this.”
Through her empowering character on the screen and her bright personality on stage, Wilson has become an inspiration to young women everywhere. Clarkson pointed this out before leading her to tell a story about one fan, in particular, who she recently had a big impact on.
“I feel like imp starting to be like in a position where I can actually give back and kind of help people and it feels really nice,” she said before revealing a memorable night in New York City as part of her current headlining Country With A Flare Tour.
“I see this sign out in the crowd, and I’ve got terrible vision so I’m kinda like squinting, trying to see it, and it says, ‘will you sign my forehead?’ And I’m like, ‘Absolutely, you better get up here. I’m gonna sign your forehead.”
What she quickly realized was that this was the same young girl who had posted a TikTok the week prior. In the video, the fan shared how people at her school were bullying her for dressing like Wilson, who’s known for her signature bell bottoms.
“You look like you’re straight-up out of Fleetwood Mac, I love your look,” Clarkson said in defense of Wilson’s attire.
“Yeah, and I think that kind of scares people, but this little girl, it did not scare her,” Wilson said before sharing the best part of all. “When I realized that was her, I brought her up on stage and I had her sign my forehead, too.”
The pair laughed as they looked at the screen behind them with the photo of Wilson and the fan on stage.
Lainey Wilson’s first-ever headlining trek kicked off on January 4 in Spokane, Washington at the Knitting Factory.She will continue through March 31, when the tour will come to an end in Columbus, Ohio at The Bluestone.
The Country With A Flare Tour is presented by Stella Rosa Future is Female, and features support from rising artists Ben Chapman, Meg McRee and Leah Blevins on select dates.
Then on March 23, Wilson will join Luke Combs on select dates of his 2023 stadium tour. Combs’ massive stint of shows will begin at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
Written by
Madeleine O’Connell
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.