Lainey Wilson has opened up to Newsweek about her future on the hit Paramount Network TV show Yellowstone, saying she hopes to return to the concluding episodes of the fifth and final season.
The country singer’s career is on a meteoric rise at the moment, having recently won a Grammy for best country album, a People’s Choice Award for female country artist of the year and entertainer of the year at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards—just to name a few. Now she’s preparing for the release of her highly-anticipated fifth album, Whirlwind, which will be released on August 23.
One might think that the singer-songwriter hasn’t got time for anything else in her busy schedule but she told Newsweek that she is “hoping” she will be in the final installment of Yellowstone. Having a few of her songs featured in the hit series contributed to her rise in the music industry, as did appearing in the fifth season of the Western drama.
Season 5, Part 1 aired in January this year, with the second part of the final series set to air in November 2024.
“What I’ve realized is that the movie business is crazier than the music business, and I did not think that was possible, but fingers crossed that Taylor Sheridan gives me a call, and as soon as he does, I’ll be there,” Wilson said.
“Yellowstone has been a very important piece to the puzzle for me, just kind of connecting the dots I think. You know, when I first kind of came out with my first single, maybe people knew the song, but they didn’t know who I was.
“[Yellowstone] kind of put a face to a name, and so it’s been very, very, very helpful for me. So I’m excited to do more of it, just waiting to see what happens.”
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Paramount
Initially, Yellowstone creator Sheridan had reached out to the songstress because he wanted to feature her music in the second season. However, he ended up writing a role specifically for her. Wilson played Abby, a musician who is also a love interest for Ryan, a character played by Ian Bohen.
Wilson, who was born and raised in a small Louisianan farming town, relocated to Nashville at the age of 19 with the goal of becoming a country music star. Success didn’t come instantly at first, as many executives didn’t think her musical style was modern enough to be popular amongst a contemporary audience. It wasn’t until her songs were featured on Yellowstone in 2019 that this perception began to change—and she has now made a name for herself as a next-generation icon.
While Wilson’s career dreams are now coming true, she sacrificed a lot to get here.
“Oh, my goodness, I’ve definitely had to sacrifice a whole lot. But I think I mean not just when you’re in the music business, if you’re just chasing down a dream in general,” she told Newsweek.
“You know, I moved eight hours away from home and I’ve missed birthdays, I’ve missed weddings, I’ve missed funerals, I’ve missed important moments for my family. When my family gets sick, it’s definitely been a sacrifice.”
Wilson’s father, Brian Wilson, suffered from serious health problems in 2022, which included a fungal infection that led to the removal of his left eye and a stroke. This happened while she was filming Yellowstone and she considered leaving the show to be with her family.
However, her father urged her to carry on filming and he eventually made a full recovery. Later that year, he accompanied her at the 56th CMA Awards.
Wilson continued: “My family has been very supportive, and they’ve done nothing but cheered me on. They’ve never held it against me or held it over my head, because they knew how bad I wanted it, and they knew that one day I was going to do it.
“So it would definitely be a lot harder if my people and my crew wasn’t as gung ho about me chasing this thing down. I don’t know if I could have done it.
“The truth is, I think because other people believed in me, like my parents and my sister and my family, that those are the things that made me believe in myself, so without their support, and without the faith that I have—my heart goes out to people who don’t have that support system because for me, it’s been vital.”
News of Yellowstone‘s abrupt conclusion broke in May, after weeks of reports of creative differences between star Kevin Costner and Sheridan. One of their disputes was reportedly related to Horizon: An American Saga, a two-part film series directed, produced, and co-written by Costner, who will also star.
Whatever happened between Costner and Sheridan behind the scenes, Paramount ultimately decided to end Yellowstone in its current form following the conclusion of the still-incomplete Season 5B. The studio instead greenlit a sequel series, which will reportedly star Matthew McConaughey and is expected to bring back a number of other Yellowstone cast members without Costner.
On August 23, Wilson’s album, Whirlwind, will be released to the world, which the singer said is the “most cathartic and personal piece of art” she’s ever created.
You can pre-order or pre-save her album here.
