'This is only the beginning': Louisiana native Lainey Wilson wins New Artist of the Year at CMA Awards
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BRPROUD) -- Louisiana native country singer Lainey Wilson walked away from the 56th Annual CMA Awards Wednesday night with two wins -- Female Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year.
For Female Vocalist of the Year, Wilson was up against nominees Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, and Carrie Underwood. In the New Artist of the Year category she was the sole female country artist running against four male nominees. Nominees in the category were HARDY, Walker Hayes, Cody Johnson and Parker McCollum.
She was nominated for six categories in her first year -- the fourth artist to do so in CMA Awards history, according to the Associated Press.
Wilson thanked her fans and others in a tweet Wednesday reading: "Holy moly y’all! This is such a blessing. Thank you to my fans, my team, my cowriters & collaborators, my supporters & even the ones that doubted me. This is only the beginning! Let’s go! I love country music."
Even Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser recognized Wilson's wins Thursday morning: "Congratulations to Lainey Wilson who won New Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year last night at the CMA Country Music Association Awards!"
She not only accepted awards at the ceremony, but she also took the stage with HARDY to perform "wait in a truck" live.
Her album titled "Bell Bottom Country" debuted on Oct. 28. Hit single "Heart Like A Truck," which Wilson describes as a song about discovering freedom in strength after facing difficulty, currently has over 20 million listens on Spotify and 3.2 million views on YouTube.
Success in the country music industry didn't come suddenly, Wilson said in a recently published Associated Press article.
“I mean, it took me seven years to even get a publishing deal, eight years to get a record deal,” Wilson told the Associated Press.
The country artist is also set to make her acting debut in Paramount Network's Season 5 of "Yellowstone" on Sunday, Nov. 13.
Wilson is scheduled to perform at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on January 2, 2023, according to Louisiana Travel. About a month later, her fans in Louisiana will get a chance to see her live during her "Country with a Flare" tour at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles on February 11, 2023.