As far as country music goes in 2025, everything was coming up Lainey Wilson. In addition to hosting the 59th Annual CMA Awards solo, the “Heart Like a Truck” singer, 33, picked up three more trophies, including her second for the prestigious Entertainer of the Year honor. Then, in the final month of the year, she landed the ninth chart-topping single of her career with “Somewhere Over Laredo,” off the deluxe edition of her Grammy-nominated album Whirlwind. This milestone placed Wilson in elite company, tying with Maren Morris for the third-most solo Top 10 hits by a woman. The two trail only Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
On Tuesday (Jan. 13), Lainey Wilson looked back on the success of “Somewhere Over Laredo” during a celebration at her label BMI’s Nashville office. At the same time, she hinted at more to come in 2026.
Videos by American Songwriter
Released in August 2024, Lainey Wilson struck gold again with her fifth studio album, Whirlwind. Cracking the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, Whirlwind also produced a Top 5 Country Airplay hit in “4x4xU.”
In May 2025, Wilson released “Somewhere Over Laredo” ahead of the album’s deluxe re-issue in August. The Wizard of Oz-inspired track struck a chord, earning Grammy nods for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. (Wilson also scored a nomination in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category with “Trailblazer,” her collaboration with Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert.)
Lainey Wilson Is Already Back to Business
Never one to rest on her laurels, however, Lainey Wilson revealed to Country Now that she and her team are “already cooking some stuff up.”
“To tell you the truth, we were already in the kitchen cooking it up before ‘Whirlwind’ was even out, which was a year and a half ago now,” she said. “I feel like we’re always writing because I don’t feel like I’m myself if I’m not creating and writing. I feel like that’s the thing that gets me through all the busyness and all the other parts of the job that exist. And so I think people are really going to love what we’ve been working on.”
[RELATED: Country Star Lainey Wilson Sums up 2025 With a Special 3-Word Message]
Promising to reveal a new side of her artistry with this latest project, Wilson added, “I feel like I’m also right where I’m supposed to be and feeling more creative than ever. And it’s good. 2026 is going to be an exciting year.”
We’ll keep an eye out for any music news from Lainey Wilson. In the meantime, you can catch her on the road with Chris Stapleton and at other major appearances, including RODEOHOUSTON.
Featured image by Jason Davis/Getty Images