Lainey Wilson received one of the highest honors in Country music this week as she was invited to become an official member of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
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Following her performance on Tuesday night’s Voice finale on NBC, Wilson was surprised with the ask of a lifetime as coach, Reba McEntire joined her on stage extending a formal invite for Wilson to become the next Opry member.
Tears streamed down Lainey’s face as she expressed her sincere gratitude for the honor and took time to reflect on her earliest memories at the Grand Ole Opry as a kid on vacation with her family, who happened to be in the audience.
“My family is in the audience over there,” she said pointing to her loved ones. “They took me to Nashville when I was nine years old and we went to the Grand Ole Opry. We saw Bill Anderson and Crystal Gayle and Little Jimmy Dickens and I knew that I wanted to play there, I wanted to do it.”
Wilson also took time to thank Reba for inspiring her every day to be her best both musically and personally. “It is so crazy that you are asking me to be a member because I look up to you so much,” she expressed. “I’m not talking about just musically, but the way that you carry yourself and your work ethic — you inspire me every day.”
The Opry invite is Lainey’s second massive award within a week as last Thursday she took home the ACM’s highest honor at the 59th Annual ACM Awards as she was named 2024 Entertainer of the Year. She’s also fresh off the release of a brand new single, “Hang Tight Honey,” and anticipating the upcoming release of her own Nashville bar and brand new album, Whirlwind, arriving this August.
“In the last few years I have said the word, ‘whirlwind’ a million times because that’s what I feel like it’s been,” she shared with Audacy’s Katie Neal ahead of the ACM Awards. “Trying to keep one foot on the ground, trying to make sure that I’m staying true to myself because we are moving at a very rapid pace and I can see where it’s easy to lose yourself.”
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She continued, “When I was writing this music and even when I was recording this music… I felt at home. I think making this record, it truly, it was the thing that kept me feeling still in a little bit of the chaos.” Whirlwind is set to release August 23.