Lainey Wilson Recalls Being Forced To Perform At Walmarts Before Making It Big – ‘I Would Play Anywhere They Let Me Play’

Lainey Wilson is currently one of the biggest stars in the country music world. However, she hasn’t always been an A-lister. In fact, Wilson comes from quite humble beginnings that saw her performing at Walmarts before she made it big.

Wilson Recalls Performing At Walmarts

“I’ve heard stories that you used to perform in a Walmart in the aisles,” host Jimmy Fallon asked Wilson while interviewing her on The Tonight Show.

“I would play anywhere that they let me play,” she replied with a laugh. “I’m talking about nursing homes, flatbed trailers. Anywhere that – My parents would be like ‘Hey, Lainey, sing that song you just wrote last week for anybody,’ and I’d just do it.”

Wilson went on to explain that she grew up in Baskin, Louisiana, which is a small town of nearly 200 people. Many Baskin residents loved to tell stories, which inspired Wilson to become a songwriter.

Wilson, 32, also recalled that when she was a child, her grandmother would print out pictures of her and would help put them on CDs for her to hand out to locals.

“Well, nobody was buying them,” Wilson admitted. “I was trying to sell them, though.”

“I was handing them out like candy,” she continued. “It was like Halloween. I was giving them to neighbors, friends, family, anybody who would take it.”

Check out this full interview in the video below.

Related: Lainey Wilson Opens ‘Bell Bottoms Up’ Bar In Nashville – ‘You Ain’t Ready For This’

Wilson’s Hannah Montana Connection

Throughout her teenage years, Wilson impersonated Miley Cyrus’ beloved Disney character Hannah Montana. Wilson has been “touring since 8th grade,” performing three to four birthday parties per weekend until she graduated from high school. During those shows, she wore a blonde wig like Hannah Montana’s.

“I would open the show as Lainey Wilson, and then I would run behind a tree or whatever it was… put on my Hannah Montana get-up,” she recalled.

Last month, Wilson had a “full circle moment” when she honored Cyrus as a Disney Legend at a D23 event in Anaheim, California.

“You inspired me to believe in myself,” she said at the time, “That I, too, could be an ordinary girl living in an extraordinary world. So, on behalf of Hannah Montana fans everywhere, I’d like to dedicate this song to you.”

Wilson’s ‘Dark Days’ In Nashville

Wilson previously opened up about her “dark days” in Nashville, Tennessee when she was trying to achieve country music success. She even spent three years living in a Flagstaff bumper-pull camper trailer in her mentor’s studio parking lot.

Wilson returned to the site of her former home in 2022. Being back there left her feeling a great sense of “sadness.”

“I feel a sense of hopefulness standing here, but I also feel a little sadness,” she confessed. “There were a lot of dark days for me. I was very lonely. I didn’t know hardly anybody in town.”

Full Story: Lainey Wilson Tells Fans How She Went From Broke In A Camper Trailer To The Top Of The Charts

Thankfully, Wilson’s days of struggling are long behind her. She’s made her dreams come true, and she’s now one of the most popular country music stars out there.

It’s safe to say that Wilson won’t be performing at Walmart again anytime soon. God bless her for showing the world that it’s possible to achieve great success from humble beginnings!