Lainey Wilson talks CMA Fest, Opry induction, Jelly Roll collab
The singer performs three songs in "CMA Fest," airing Tuesday on ABC
NASHVILLE -- Lainey Wilson is at the top of her game, with smash hits, lots of awards and even some acting gigs. And for the 3rd year in a row, she took the Nissan Stadium stage by storm at the 51st CMA Fest.
Country music has been her passion since she was young and that love was fueled every time she came to Nashville to attend the festival.
"I've come to CMA Fest every year since I was 14. My parents, they would bring my sister and me every summer. They knew how much we love country music, but they also, it was kind of a learning experience," Wilson told On The Red Carpet.
At this year's CMA Fest, Wilson performed some of her hits, like "Hang Tight Honey," "Heart Like A Truck," "Watermelon Moonshine," and brought out Terri Clark to sing "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." She also popped into Keith Urban's set to perform their single "GO HOME W U."
"Every Keith Urban CMA Fest show I've ever seen brings the dang house down," Wilson said. "It truly is about the music for that man, so I've learned a lot from him."
During their performance, Urban exclaimed to his audience that Wilson was the "newest member of the Grand Ole Opry." She was inducted into the Opry by country legends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood just days prior to CMA Fest in front of her family and country music luminaries.
"It's kinda like I brought my family from home to my family in Nashville," Wilson explained. "It was a special feeling."
Part of Wilson's Nashville family? CMA Fest host and performer Jelly Roll. The two sang their single "Save Me" for the crowd.
"If me and Jelly are at the same place, we are gonna get up and do 'Save Me,' no matter what. Sometimes we'll literally fly from one side of the country to the other just to get up on stage with each other. He's my brother," Wilson said.
"Save Me" is one of 30 performances viewers can see on "CMA Fest." The music event of the summer, airs Tuesday, June 25 at 8pm EST/7pm CST on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
The Walt Disney company is the parent company of this ABC station.
