Here’s Why Lainey Wilson Wanted to Step Outside Her ‘Comfort Zone’ With ‘Yellowstone’ Role

Lainey Wilson has extended her talents from country music to television. The “Heart Like a Truck” singer-songwriter made her acting debut in the fifth season of Yellowstone last year, and discussed why she wanted to try her hand at something different during Thursday’s episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“Songwriting has always been my number one no matter what, but I’ve loved country music — where I’m from, northeast Louisiana, it’s a town of 200 people, it’s a little town called Baskin. We eat, sleep and breathe country music so that was my focus,” Wilson told the host.

After Wilson was given a chance to play Abby in Yellowstone, it was an offer she could not refuse. “When this opportunity came up. I was like, ‘This is gonna be an opportunity for me to share my music with the world, you dang right i’m gonna take it. Let’s do it,’” she told the talk-show host, adding that the move was “stepping outside of that comfort zone” and “doing something a little scary.”

Wilson’s “Watermelon Moonshine” appeared on the Dec. 11 episode of the Paramount show, allowing it to crown the Top TV Songs chart at No. 1. The country starlet performed the song as her character in the episode.

Earlier this month, Wilson took the 2023 Billboard Women in Music stage at the ceremony on March 1 to perform her hit song “Heart Like a Truck” and accept this year’s Rulebreaker Award.

Watch Wilson talk about Yellowstone in the video above.