Lainey Wilson Is Not Abashed to ‘Smell Like Smoke,’ as Her Original ‘Yellowstone’ Song Goes Up for Awards Consideration
variety.comChris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic It’s difficult to know whether Lainey Wilson would be as big a star as she’s recently become in the field of country music without the visibility boost she’s received from “Yellowstone.” The series began featuring her songs in season 2, a few years before Lainey was cast for a recurring role as a musician in season 5.
The most likely answer: She’d probably be almost as big, even without the Taylor Sheridan factor. After all, it’s not a TV show that came up with the combination of country-rock singing chops, irresistible Louisiana accent and gosh-dang gung-ho that have captivated listeners to the point that, in short succession, she’s racked up four No.
1 Mediabase radio singles and been one of the leading winners at the CMA and ACM awards shows. But said TV show didn’t hurt in providing turbo microboosts, first with the needle drops, then dropping a stylus on her wholly unexpected acting career. “When Taylor told me ‘I want to create a character specifically for you — I want you to wear your bell bottoms, sing your own songs, and pretty much be yourself,’ I knew that he was wanting to kind of help me over that wall… to put a face to a name for people,” Wilson says.
She has enjoyed her induction into acting. “I had never really done anything like that. Of course, I impersonated Hannah Montana through middle school and high school, but I never was saying lines.
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