Country Star Lainey Wilson Just Broke So Many CMA Records

She's making history.

Lainey Wilson performs onstage during the 2023 CMT Music Awards at Moody Center on April 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
(Image credit: Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty)

Lainey Wilson's song "Atta Girl" has never been more appropriate.

The country singer and Yellowstone star has much to celebrate this week, following the announcement of this year's Country Music Awards nominations.

Wilson was only nominated for the CMAs for the first time last year, and she has been making country music history ever since.

This year, the artist is the Awards' most nominated artist with nine nominations: for entertainer of the year, single of the year for "Heart Like A Truck," album of the year for Bell Bottom Country, song of the year for "Heart Like A Truck" AND "wait in the truck" with HARDY, female vocalist of the year, musical event of the year for "Save Me" with Jelly Roll AND "wait in the truck," and music video of the year for "wait in the truck."

Fellow singer Jelly Roll celebrated her win on Twitter, writing, "My sister @laineywilson got 9 nominations — holy f**kkkk- there is one category she is competing against herself. This woman is on fire - so happy for you Lainey. LETS GOOOOOOOO"

While this show of support from Jelly Roll—who is second for most nominations with five—is completely adorable, he actually got it wrong: There are not one but TWO categories where Wilson is competing against herself. IMAGINE.

But that's not all: Wilson is also the only artist in CMA history to lead nominations in the first two years of being up for an award. Last year, she was also the most nominated artist with nods in six categories.

She is also the first female artist to win new artist as well as female vocalist one year (2022), then be nominated for entertainer the next year (2023), and is tied with legends Merle Haggard and Miranda Lambert for nine nominations in a single year. Haggard received nine nods in 1970, and Lambert in both 2010 and 2014. Only Alan Jackson has ever beaten that record, with 10 nominations in 2002.

Whoa.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.