Lainey Wilson To Tell Her Story In A Way That Proves She's 'Tough As Nails'

Lainey Wilson is “tough as nails.”

The reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year will relive meaningful moments throughout her life and career in a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The exhibit, titled Lainey Wilson: Tough as Nails, will make its debut next month. It is included with admission into the museum, per an announcement on Tuesday morning (June 17). “This new exhibit explores the Louisiana native’s ascent to stardom and her identity as both a pragmatic farmer’s daughter and the free-spirited originator of ‘bell bottom country.’”

“It's a dream come true to have my own exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and such an incredible honor to be included next to so many of my heroes and legendary artists,” the Whirlwind artist said in a statement. “These past few years have been a complete whirlwind, and it's going to be really amazing to see the whole journey captured in the exhibit, along with some special items from growing up in Louisiana. I can't wait to see how it turned out and for my family, friends and fans to check it out.”

Songwriters Aaron Raitiere and Jon Decious (who teamed up with the Baskin, Louisiana-born hitmaker on No. 1 single “4x4xU,” and more) will take part in a Songwriter Session on July 19 in the museum’s Ford Theater in honor of the new exhibit. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, some of the items that will be displayed include:

• The first tooled leather saddle Wilson used as a child.
• The Montana Silversmiths custom-made silver and gold belt buckle — engraved with the brand of her family’s farm in Baskin, Louisiana, and ornamented with rhinestones — that Wilson wore to the Country Music Association Awards in 2022.
• Sixteen-year-old Wilson’s journal, where she wrote, “My dream is to become a country singer/songwriter. I know I can do it.”
• A program for Baskin School’s kindergarten graduation listing Wilson’s first public performance, when she sang “Butterfly Kisses.”
• One of Wilson’s first hats, given to her by a fellow musician who is also a hatmaker.
• A Go Vicki! fringed jacket belonging to Wilson’s mother, which Wilson wore when she performed at Saddlebags, a country music venue in Savannah, Georgia, on February 9, 2018.
• A Wrangler trench coat, denim vest and jeans — all embellished with rhinestones — and the Charlie 1 Horse by Lainey Wilson hat she wore during her halftime performance at the NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2024.
• The sequined tank top Wilson wore while impersonating Hannah Montana in the late 2000s.
• The floral-pattern shirt, Cat O’ Nine studded bell bottoms and rhinestone-embellished Kippys belt Wilson wore during her debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry, February 14, 2020.
• The rhinestone-embellished Wrangler vest; Wrangler jeans, accented with feathers and rhinestones; and Rotate metallic bustier Wilson wore at her “Country’s Cool Again” performance at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on June 1, 2024.
• The Wrangler denim vest and studded jeans Wilson wore in her role as Abby in the series finale of “Yellowstone,” when she performed “Hang Tight Honey” on location at Billy Bob’s Texas, a historic country music venue in Fort Worth.
• The Dolce & Gabbana rawhide leather shirt and Alice + Olivia suede bell bottoms Wilson wore during the photo shoot for her 2024 album, Whirlwind.
• The Norma Kamali-designed patchwork-pattern blazer and matching bell bottoms Wilson wore when she made her first appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” May 26, 2022.
• The Carolina Herrera-designed strapless satin bell-bottom jumpsuit with ruffled pant hems Wilson wore on the red carpet at the Country Music Association Awards in 2023.

“From a young age, Lainey Wilson had an unwavering vision and faith in herself,” Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement. “This exhibit will examine the seeds of her career, including the requisite talent, hard work and ingenuity throughout her ten-year journey in Nashville that fueled her emergence as a globally popular and beloved artist. As her career has flourished, she continues to reflect these roots and core values in her music and life.”

Wilson is also represented in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s annual American Currents: State of the Music exhibit, which takes a look at some of the genre’s most influential artists, songwriters and music over the past year. Young previously said in a statement that the “American Currents exhibition examines a wide variety of music and events that took place the prior year. Last year, we witnessed innovative collaborations, well-deserved honors and the continued expansion of country and roots-inspired music’s reach to broader audiences. American Currents allows us to highlight these significant moments within the context of music history."

Lainey Wilson: Tough as Nails will make its debut on July 18. it will remain open until June 2026. Scroll below to see photos of some of the artifacts included in the exhibit: