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Lainey Wilson revealed the release date of her forthcoming anthem — which inspired the name of her 2024 headlining tour — on Friday (February 9), on the heels of her first-ever Grammy Award win. Wilson’s “Country’s Cool Again” will make its highly-anticipated debut next Friday, February 16.
“Country isn’t just a genre for me or for any of us that live and breathe it every single day,” Wilson said. “It’s a way of life. It’s always been cool and I think I speak for everyone when I say, we’re just glad it’s gettin’ a lil more recognition and love these days. Welcome to the party, cowgirls and cowboys.
“I’m so excited to announce my brand-new song, ‘Country’s Cool Again.’ This past year has been a wild ride and truly shown me that Country music is really loving me back,” Wilson added in a statement. “This track is an ode to my upbringing and the story of my journey in this industry – where I have been and where I am now. I’m feeling all the love from Country music fans, and I can’t wait to hear everyone singing this song back to me while we’re out on the road this year.”
Wilson displays her signature flare in the unique Western anthem, which blends elements of rock and Americana in with country. It was written by The Heart Wranglers — including Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wilson — with Aslan Freeman, Wilson’s band leader. GRAMMY-award-winning producer Jay Joyce produced “Country’s Cool Again,” per a press release issued Friday morning.
“Country’s Cool Again” teases the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year’s upcoming chapter of music, following her award-winning sophomore album, Bell Bottom Country. The collection scored the Baskin, Louisiana-born artist’s first Grammy Award on Sunday (February 4), in addition to CMA and ACM Album of the Year honors. Bell Bottom Country included smash-hit singles “Heart Like A Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” in addition to “Hillbilly Hippie,” “Grease,” “Hold My Halo,” “Live Off” and other highlights. Wilson expanded the 14-track project with two new songs — “Smell Like Smoke” and “New Friends” — after she made her acting debut on Yellowstone.
“It's cool to be able to write your story and your truth and get vulnerable and have people appreciate that. …The truth is, I mean, preparing for something like that is really scary,” Wilson said during a previous interview with iHeartCountry, when asked what it’s like to observe how her fans receive her music after spending so much time writing and recording it. “You're like, 'well, I mean, all I can do is do what I do and hope that folks like it.' But it seems like I just keep on getting surprised, and people are finding little pieces in each song to connect to and relate to. And a lot of people have shared their stories with me on why they love each song and why it means something different to them. And that's what country music's about. It's about making people feel like they're not alone. And I've known from a very early age that I was supposed to be doing this, and it feels really nice to just be embraced.”
Wilson confirmed in an interview with PEOPLE last summer that she was working on her third full-length studio album, following Bell Bottom Country and 2021’s Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. She said during that interview that she “was never really able to write love songs, because I don't know if I had actually felt it, but I'm writing me some love songs now,” amid her romance with former NFL quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges. The interview published the month after Wilson and Hodges made their red carpet debut at the 2023 ACM Awards. “I’m grateful for him.”
Wilson is slated to kick off her global headlining tour dates on March 20 in Melbourne, Australia. “Lainey Wilson: LIVE” will include stops in Sydney, Australia; Belfast, Northern Ireland; London, England; and other destinations, before coming to a close on May 3 in Oslo, Norway. The “Watermelon Moonshine” star is bringing Jackson Dean, Kameron Marlowe and Harper O’Neill on her international tour stops. After that, Wilson will continue performing on her headlining “Country’s Cool Again Tour,” bookending it in her two hometowns: Nashville, Tennessee, and Monroe, Louisiana. Those tour dates will include Ian Munsick, Jackson Dean and Zach Top. See the full list of tour dates below.
Wilson is also nominated at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, alongside other heavy-hitters in the genre like Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and others. See the full list of country artists nominated here. Fans across the country will be able to watch the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards live as the show will be airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, April 1st from 8pm-10pm ET live/PT tape-delayed on FOX. The event will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app.
“LAINEY WILSON: LIVE” 2024 GLOBAL DATES
March 20th – Melbourne, Australia – Margaret Court Arena
March 22nd– Sydney, Australia – Hordern Pavilion
April 17th – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Ulster Hall
April 19th – Glasgow, England – O2 Academy Glasgow
April 20th – Manchester, England– Manchester Academy
April 23rd – London, England – O2 Forum Kentish Town
April 25th – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg Max
April 29th – Cologne, DE – Kantine
April 30th – Berlin, DE – Columbia Theatre
May 2nd – Stockholm, SE – Nalen
May 3rd – Oslo, NO – Rockefeller Music Hall
“COUNTRY’S COOL AGAIN” DATES
5/31 – Nashville, TN (Ascend Amphitheater) *^
6/1 – Nashville, TN (Ascend Amphitheater) *^
6/14 – Camden, NJ (Freedom Mortgage Pavilion) *^
6/15 – Gilford, NH (Bank NH Pavilion) *^
6/20 – Saratoga Springs, NY (Broadview Stage at SPAC) *^
6/21 – Syracuse, NY (Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview) *^
6/26 – New York, NY (Radio City Music Hall) *^
6/28 – Bridgeport, CT (Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater) *^
6/29 – Bangor, ME (Maine Savings Amphitheater) *^
8/8 – Huntsville, AL (The Orion Amphitheater) *^
8/9 – Southaven, MS (BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove) *^
8/10 – Rogers, AR (Walmart AMP) *^
8/22 – Prescott Valley, AZ (Findlay Toyota Center) +^
8/23 – Chula Vista, CA (North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre) +^
8/24 – Concord, CA (Toyota Pavilion at Concord) +^
9/1 – Los Angeles, CA (The Greek Theatre) +^
9/13 - Salt Lake City, UT (USANA Amphitheatre) +^
9/14 - Boise, ID (Ford Idaho Center) +^
9/15 - Missoula, MT (University of Montana - Adams Center) +^
9/19 – Fresno, CA (Save Mart Center) +% ON SALE NOV 3
9/20 – Lake Tahoe/Stateline, NV (Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys) + ^
9/26 – Vancouver, BC (Rogers Arena) + ^
9/27 – Auburn, WA (White River Amphitheatre) + ^ ON SALE DEC 1
9/28 – Ridgefield, WA (RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater) + ^ ON SALE NOV 17
10/10 – Lubbock, TX (United Supermarkets Arena) + ^
10/18 – Raleigh, NC (Red Hat Amphitheater) *^
10/19 – Alpharetta, GA (Ameris Bank Amphitheatre) *^
10/20 – Wilmington, NC (Live Oak Bank Pavilion) *^
10/24 – London, ON (Budweiser Gardens) *^
10/25 – Oshawa, ON (Tribute Communities Centre) *^
10/26 – Pittsburgh, PA (Petersen Events Center) *^
11/1 – Little Rock, AR (Simmons Bank Arena) + ^
11/2 – Evansville, IN (Ford Center) *^
11/3 – Charleston, WV (Charleston Coliseum) *^
11/7 – Oklahoma City, OK (Paycom Center) + ^
11/8 – Omaha, NE (CHI Health Center) + ^
11/9 – Sioux Falls, SD (Denny Sanford Premier Center) + ^ ON SALE NOV 17
11/15- Monroe, LA (Monroe Civic Center) *^
11/16 Monroe, LA (Monroe Civic Center) *^
* - Ian Munsick
^ - Zach Top
+ - Jackson Dean
% - To Be Announced