Lainey Wilson Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Hang tight, honey: Lainey Wilson is sharing a glimpse of life on the road for the Country’s Cool Again tour.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the “Watermelon Moonshine” singer dished on how she gets into the right headspace before hitting the stage. “Whiskey and a prayer — and being silly with my band,” Wilson, 32, shared while celebrating the launch of her new Wrangler collection. “We’ll make the craziest faces you can possibly make and get some of those nerves out.”
“That way, when we’re on stage, we can just draw from each other’s energy,” she continued. “At times, the crowd could be giving you that energy or it might kind of be like a more tame night and you have to depend on each other to bring it.”
Wilson’s love for her band — lead guitarist Aslan Freeman, drummer Matt Nolan, instrumentalist Kevin Nolan, and bassist Tommy Scifres — runs deep. So much so, that she looks forward to playing “Whirlwind” every night because it gives them a chance to shine.
“At the end of the song, we do this big, long guitar solo and I get excited for them because I get to brag on them for a minute,” the Grammy winner told Us. “It’s really cool to be playing these new songs that we created together”
Lainey Wilson Steve Jennings/Getty Images
“They’re badass [and] geniuses,” she said of the musicians.
Wilson — whose rider essentials include “Throat Coat cough drops, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Coors Light” — has been touring since 2019, but her most memorable performance was one in which she served as a surprise guest: Playing with the Rolling Stones during the Hackney Diamonds tour in Chicago last June.
“I got to do ‘Dead Flowers’ and it was a cool moment for me and my band because [the Rolling Stones] influenced every genre of music there is, but especially country music,” Wilson shared, noting Mick Jagger personally tapped her to join the rock band on stage after watching her show. “I’ve learned a lot from him. It’s crazy to think that I’ve got his love and support.”
When the show is over, Wilson likes to keep her afterparty low-key. “There needs to be some pizza, some good friends, some good music,” the “Heart Like a Truck” singer says. As for the required attire? “My pajamas.”
Lainey Wilson Joshua Applegate/Getty Images
With so many musical acts crossing genres, Wilson has no plans to leave country music — “No matter what, [if] you put this accent on top of any kind of music, it is gonna be country” — but if she has her way, she would join forces with Miley Cyrus, whose Hannah Montana character she used to impersonate.
“When you listen to her voice and the way that she talks, a lot of the cadence reminds me of country music,” she added. “I’d love to see her come into the country music scene.”
Lainey Wilson Jason Davis/Getty Images
For those who’ve been playing Wilson’s latest album on repeat, but haven’t been able to catch her on the Country’s Cool Again tour, don’t worry: She plans to highlight the whole record in its entirety next year.
“I don’t see a slowing down anytime soon,” she told Us. “We named the record Whirlwind and I think it’s going to cause us more whirlwind, so I said the next record is gonna be called Peace.”
For more of Wilson’s Backstage Pass, pick up this week’s issue of Us Weekly on newsstands now.
