Lainey Wilson Shares Her Journey to the Big Screen on 'Yellowstone' at CMA Fest 2024

On the final day of CMA Fest 2024, country superstar Lainey Wilson joined fellow hitmaker Keith Urban to discuss a wide range of topics, as well as trace her rollercoaster ride from Baskin, Louisiana, to the genre's leading lady.

About halfway through their conversation, Wilson offered up some juicy information regarding her time on the blockbuster TV show, Yellowstone, earning a loud round of applause from the packed out audience, reinforcing country fan's obsession with the beloved series.

Prior to being cast on Yellowstone, Wilson's music had been featured across its episodes a number of times, even before her first official single, 'Things A Man Oughta Know,' was climbing the country radio charts. Going all the way back to season two, viewers can hear Wilson cuts like 'Workin' Overtime,' 'Straight Up Sideways' and 'Small Town Girl,' which was played during the season three finale.

"I'm a Yellowstone fan, myself," she admitted to the crowd. "They had put a few of my songs in the show and really introduced my music to a lot of people. At the time, I was playing these hole in the wall bars and people would come up and say, 'I found you through Yellowstone!' Right then, I knew how important the soundtrack to Yellowstone really was."

Continuing to build a relationship with the show's writer and producer, Taylor Sheridan, who continued to include her music within the soundtracks, she explained that before long, he had called her up with an intriguing proposition.

"One day he called me and said, 'I've got an idea. I want to create a character for ya. I want you to pretty much be yourself and go by a musician named Abby.'" Wilson added, "You can't turn something down like that so I said, 'I've never done anything like that in my life but sign me up!'"

Appearing in the first part of Yellowstone's highly anticipated fifth and final season, Abby was an enduring character that added a welcomed depth and authenticity to the series as a whole... and her first-hand experience as a striving musician sure didn't hurt her approach to the character, either!

Throughout the first part of season five, fans can see real performances from the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and hear several tracks from her award-winning Bell Bottom Country record, including 'Smell Like Smoke,' 'New Friends,' 'Hold My Halo' and boozy No. 1 single, 'Watermelon Moonshine.'

While it's not yet known if Wilson and Abby will be featured in the second half of season five, Wilson says that she would be all in to try out more acting roles, noting that "[she's] been acting a fool [her] whole life!"

For more on Lainey Wilson, see below: