Country Superstar Lainey Wilson on Wanting to Be Not Just an Entertainer but a Storyteller — and With ‘Stories That Outlive Me’

variety.com:

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Lainey Wilson already had plenty of trophies and accolades before being named Variety’s Storyteller of the Year — like winning the CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year, generally considered country music’s top honor, the very first time she was nominated in 2023.

But the story part in the name of the award she’s being given at Variety‘s Hitmakers event really means something to her. “I’ve really been trying to perfect my craft since I was 9 years old,” Wilson points out, talking about how she would rush home from school to pick up her guitar and spin tales with it. “And so, thinking now about the full circle moment of being called a storyteller, I’m extremely flattered, because I’ve always known that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” For anyone who ever lost confidence in modern country, Wilson is an instant faith-restorer… and for those who didn’t need that kind of boost, she’s still obviously in the very front line of its contemporary practioners.

Her third major-label album, “Whirlwind,” further establishes the multiple facets of someone who is one of the genre’s singular personalities.

It’s a mixture of songs where the Louisiana native is clearly telling the story of her own life, more character-driven songs that invent a narrative for someone else, and a few that fall somewhere in-between, all of them lively, emotionally intelligent and indelible. “With most of this record, I do feel like I had to live it to write it,” she says. “In opening up and writing music that is more personal to me, I think maybe that makes the listener feel like they can trust me… But it’s also important for me to tell stories for the people who feel like their story has never been.