Lainey Wilson Reveals How Songwriting Helped Her Through Hard Times as a Teenager

Lainey Wilson is one of the biggest names in country music today. With the release of her highly anticipated new album Whirlwind on the horizon, her star is on the verge of rising even higher. However, she wasn’t always the superstar she is today. When she was a teenager, she dealt with the same things that all kids deal with. Luckily, though, she had an outlet to help her deal with the pressures of high school. Songwriting helped her get through the hard times.

Recently, Wilson sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to talk about her career, life, and forthcoming record. During the conversation, she opened up about how songwriting helped her deal with her teenage trials and tribulations.

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Lainey Wilson Found Solace in Songwriting

Looking back on her teenage years, Lainey Wilson said she didn’t have it easy. However, she realizes that others had it worse than her. “I dealt with the things that all kids deal with, mean girls,” she said. “I don’t even know if I would say they bullied me. I’ve seen kids get bullied, but it was hard,” she added.

Wilson started writing songs when she was just nine years old. So, by the time she was a teenager, she had begun to develop the skill into something therapeutic. Writing songs became a way for her to deal with things “behind closed doors,” she said.

However, writing songs didn’t just help Wilson deal with her teenage angst. It also taught her to put herself in someone else’s shoes, if only for a few minutes at a time. “Songwriting has been a thing for me, too. I’ll observe other people and I will be able to become more empathic toward people,” she explained. “I’m able to take some of their pain on, which is one of my worst qualities and my best qualities. I can write from somebody else’s perspective,” she added. “And I think songwriting in general has made me a better person.”

Wilson’s new album Whirlwind will hit streaming platforms and record store shelves tomorrow (August 23).

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