Lainey Wilson auditioned for The Voice a total of seven times, never making it past the first round. The reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year finds it ironic now, especially after her performance on the reality TV talent show, where she was invited by Reba McEntire to become the next member of the Grand Ole Opry.
READ MORE: Fans are losing interest in The Voice season 26, but it’s not just about the contestants’ talent
“I didn’t even make it to the part where they turn the chairs around,” Wilson tells Entertainment Tonight with a laugh. “But it just kind of lit a fire under me, and I said, ‘You gotta keep on going.’”
Wilson certainly didn’t need The Voice, or any other TV show, for her to find success in country music. The Louisiana native has a Top 25 hit with “Hang Tight Honey,” which she released after celebrating her seventh consecutive No. 1 hit, with “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.”
“It’s been wild,” Wilson admits. “But we have been celebrating every step of the way, and I’m so glad to be here.”
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Wilson’s career could have started earlier, and with a lot less blood, sweat and tears, if she had been able to compete on a show like The Voice. But she says she is now grateful for her entire journey, even the really hard parts.
“I didn’t know what it was going to look like, but I truly do think that that rejection and the time that it has taken me to get to this point, because, I mean, this year it’ll be 13 years that I’ve been in Nashville doing it,” Wilson tells Fox News. “I think it’s really just a part of my story. And I think the Lord kind of wanted me to live a little bit more life so I could have more stories to tell, so I could relate to more people.
“That’s what it’s about,” she continues. ‘When you kind of zoom out and you think about all of this. It’s important to remember and realize, why are we doing this? And what are we doing this for? It’s just because we all want to feel something. And, I think, because of that rejection, I think people can relate to some of my stories.”
Lainey Wilson Announced As Playoff Advisor For Season 26
After sharing her special moment with McEntire on Season 25, Wilson returned to The Voice. She joined Season 26 as Team Reba’s playoff advisor.
“Just country icons helping country icons,” the caption of the announcement read. “Lainey Wilson is a Playoff Advisor for Team Reba TN 8/7c on @nbc and streaming on @peacock.”
Fans couldn’t hold in their excitement about the news of Wilson being a playoff advisor.
“I’m so excited for this,” one fan commented.
“Heck yea!!!! Let’s go,” another wrote.
“Will be watching!!!!,” another said.
The news comes after Simone Biles, MGK, and Carly Pearce were previously revealed as Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, and Michael Bublé’s playoff advisors. Biles, MGK, Pearce, and Wilson helped this season’s Voice contestants prepare for their playoff performances.
