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Lainey Wilson embraced the “Whirlwind” in a Western-inspired performance on stage at the milestone 60th ACM Awards on Thursday evening (May 8).
The 2024 Entertainer of the Year made the powerful anthem the title track of her latest record, Whirlwind, a highly-anticipated project after her Grammy winner, Bell Bottom Country. Wilson teamed up with songwriters Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wilson to write the song, embracing the “whirlwind” of her lifestyle and paying tribute to her romance with fiancé Devlin “Duck” Hodges. The couple got engaged earlier this year at late legend George Jones’ estate in Franklin, Tennessee, outside of Nashville, and Wilson said it “could not have been more perfect.” She added that Hodges “makes it real easy to write love songs. …He’s a good person.”
The Whirlwind megastar admitted, though, “we haven’t even started planning (the wedding). We need to really sit down and make that a priority, but I’m sure it’ll be something that’s very, very simple.”
“I’ve been trying to sit down for a while now and talk about what this record means to me but the truth is I feel like this record says it all. I’ve grown so much in the past few years and I have such a different view of love and life and loss,” Wilson said when Whirlwind released in August 2024. “The highs and lows of the whirlwind have taught me a lot about what’s important and how to never give up on trying to find your inner peace. I think you’ll hear what I mean when you listen. Hope it means something to you, too.
“Whirlwind is kind of the Western sister of Bell Bottom Country,” she added. “Since that album, I have gotten to experience so many new things and meet folks from different walks of life. Because of that, I’ve become a better songwriter, and I have more understanding. I feel like I’ve truly stepped into what it is that I’m called to be doing. Ironically, I found my path within all the craziness—and that’s the whirlwind.”
The milestone 60th ACM Awards kicked off with a star-studded “Songs of the Decades” performance by host Reba McEntire, plus Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, and LeAnn Rimes and Little Big Town. The group teamed up to pay tribute to 60 years of ACM Songs of the Year.
Country Music’s Party of the Year also included performances by 2024 ACM Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Clint Black, Wynonna Judd, Dan + Shay, LeAnn Rimes, Alan Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Kelsea Ballerini, Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Shaboozey, and Zach Top. The star-studded list of presenters included Black, Judd, Shelton, Sugarland’s Kristian Bush, Carly Pearce, Crystal Gayle, ERNEST, Gabby Barrett, Gretchen Wilson, Jordan Davis, Lee Ann Womack, Lionel Richie, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Rita Wilson, Sara Evans and The Oak Ridge Boys, plus NASCAR driver Chase Elliott and podcast hosts Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton. iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones interviewed artists throughout the 60th ACM Awards. Check back with iHeartRadio for interviews, recaps of epic performances and other can’t-miss moments, stunning red carpet fashion, a live-updated list of winners and more.
Sixteen-time ACM winner McEntire returned to host the show for her 18th time, more than any other artist. The event took place again at the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.