Fresh off sweeping the 2025 CMA Awards and snagging Grammy nods, Louisiana powerhouse Lainey Wilson has etched her name into country music immortality, tying Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift for the third-most Top 10 hits among solo female artists on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with her latest smash “Somewhere Over Laredo.” The track’s No. 1 debut on Country Airplay marks her fifth chart-topper, fueling a banner year of sold-out tours, heartfelt anthems, and personal milestones that have fans hailing her as the genre’s new trailblazing queen.

In the glittering glare of country music’s biggest night, Lainey Wilson didn’t just show up—she owned it. Hosting the 59th Annual CMA Awards on November 19, 2025, from Bridgestone Arena, the 33-year-old Baskin, Louisiana native claimed three major trophies: Entertainer of the Year (her second win in three years), Female Vocalist of the Year (a record-tying fourth consecutive victory), and Album of the Year for her chart-topping Whirlwind. But the real fireworks came days later, on November 25, when Billboard crowned her latest single “Somewhere Over Laredo” a No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart—her fifth such honor—and a ninth Top 10 smash on the Hot Country Songs tally. That feat catapults her into elite company, tying her with icons Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift for the third-most Top 10s among solo women, behind only Shania Twain and Faith Hill in the record books.

“It’s like God handed me a map with all the twists and turns marked out,” Wilson gushed in an Instagram post that racked up 2.5 million likes overnight, sharing a montage of studio sessions, pregnancy glow, and arena roars. Co-written with Trannie Anderson, Andy Albert, and her husband Dallas Wilson during a Montana birthday brainstorm, the track’s soaring chorus—”Somewhere over Laredo, I’m finding my way back to you”—has become a radio staple, blending Wilson’s signature bell-bottom twang with raw vulnerability about life’s detours. Peaking at No. 9 on Hot Country Songs, it also snagged Grammy nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the February 1, 2026, ceremony—nine days before her rainbow baby’s due date. “I finished co-writing this on my birthday in Montana, heard it back over Idaho on a plane with my best friends, got pregnant the week it hit radio, and learned it went No. 1 while watching Wicked 2 at the movies,” she wrote. “Only God can write a story like that.”

Wilson’s ascent feels like a plot twist straight out of a Nashville fairy tale. Raised in a town of 250 souls, she traded cheerleading pom-poms for a guitar at 9, belting Dolly Parton covers in church basements before hauling her dreams to Music City at 20. Early gigs included Yellowstone cameos and a Cupit Records indie debut in 2014, but it was 2019’s “Things a Man Oughta Know”—a sassy kiss-off that topped charts and won her first ACM award—that cracked the vault. By 2021, Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ and the platinum Bell Bottom Country (2022) had her headlining arenas, with hits like “Heart Like a Truck” racking up 500 million Spotify streams. Whirlwind, her August 2024 sophomore major-label effort, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200, spawning four Top 10s and earning a Grammy nod for Best Country Album. She’s now the first woman to win back-to-back ACM Entertainer of the Year since Swift in 2009-10, and her CMA sweep echoes Reba McEntire’s four-peat Female Vocalist streak from 1984-87.

What sets Wilson apart—and lands her alongside Underwood and Swift—is her unyielding authenticity in a genre often accused of cookie-cutter conformity. Underwood, the American Idol golden girl turned genre titan, boasts 28 No. 1 singles (14 co-written), seven Guinness World Records, and eight Grammys, with Some Hearts (2005) as the best-selling solo female country debut ever (over 8 million copies). Her 16th Top 10 on Hot Country Songs in 2012 set a benchmark for women, blending powerhouse vocals with crossover anthems like “Before He Cheats” that shattered glass ceilings. Swift, the Pennsylvania prodigy who stormed Nashville at 14, redefined country-pop fusion with her self-titled debut (2006) and Fearless (2008), amassing 55 Top 10s on Hot Country Songs (including 25 No. 1s) and surpassing Twain for most weeks at No. 1 on Top Country Albums. Her early catalog—”Tim McGraw,” “Our Song”—paved the way for global domination, but her country roots earned her seven ACM awards and a place as the most-awarded female in RIAA history for singles.

Wilson’s ninth Top 10 ties her squarely in that pantheon, edging her past Maren Morris for third among solo women. “Lainey’s not chasing ghosts—she’s building her own legend,” says Morris in a Rolling Stone profile, praising Wilson’s blend of retro flair and modern edge. At the CMAs, Wilson’s high-energy medley honoring icons like Loretta Lynn and trailblazers like Kacey Musgraves drew a standing ovation, her sequined fringe dress and powerhouse pipes channeling the spirit of the greats. “It takes a village,” she said accepting Entertainer, name-dropping her team from producers Jay Joyce (who helmed Whirlwind) to her fiancé Devlin “Duck” Hodges, the ex-NFL quarterback she got engaged to in February 2025. Their Pittsburgh Steelers fandom? A quirky footnote to her Louisiana drawl.

Offstage, Wilson’s 2025 has been a whirlwind in every sense. She headlined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, floating atop a float dubbed “Bell Bottom Boulevard” in a nod to her style—fringe, rhinestones, and all. “I remember watching this with my family, dreaming big,” she told People pre-performance, belting “Ring Finger” as confetti rained down. The set, a funky earworm from Whirlwind, hit No. 15 on Hot Country Songs and underscored her versatility: Part Patsy Cline grit, part Beyoncé swagger. Her tour, the Whirlwind World Tour, grossed $45 million across 60 dates, outselling Underwood’s 2023 Denim & Rhinestones run and rivaling Swift’s early Eras energy. Philanthropy amps her glow: Wilson’s Be You House, a Nashville shelter for at-risk youth, raised $2 million via CMA proceeds, echoing Swift’s donor drives.

Critics are unanimous: Wilson’s the spark country needs. Billboard dubbed her “the third pillar” in a trio with Underwood and Swift, noting her nine ACM Female Vocalist wins (tying Lambert’s record) and 16 total trophies. Variety hailed Whirlwind as “a genre-bending triumph,” with tracks like “Somewhere Over Laredo” blending Tex-Mex twang and pop hooks. Grammy buzz swirls: Best New Artist in 2023, now Album of the Year contention? “She’s the full package—songwriter, showwoman, survivor,” says ACM CEO Ted Mensch.

As 2025 closes, Wilson’s eyeing family first: Her son’s arrival in January 2026, followed by a Vegas residency teased for spring. “This industry’s a rodeo—hold on tight or get bucked,” she laughs in a NPR sit-down. With Underwood touring arenas and Swift dominating pop, Wilson’s staking her claim in country’s heartland. Ninth Top 10? Just the derrick. The real gusher’s her unfiltered fire, proving legends aren’t born—they’re forged in the honky-tonk haze.

For fans, it’s vindication: From Yellowstone extra to CMA queen, Lainey’s whirlwind is just revving up. Stream “Somewhere Over Laredo” now—it’s the sound of country evolving, one bell-bottom stomp at a time.