“It Definitely Reassured Me”: Anne Wilson on How Lainey Wilson Gave Her the Confidence to Keep Making Country Music

With Anne Wilson gearing up for a brand new Contemporary Christian Music and country crossover project, the ‘My Jesus’ hitmaker is now an established figure in both scenes.

But back in 2024, when releasing her sophomore album, REBEL, Wilson was still entrenched in the Christian scene, and her impending country pivot was seen by some as a risk. But thankfully, the ‘Rain in the Rearview’ singer-songwriter stayed true to herself, and crafted a brilliant album that reflected how big a part of her life her faith is, while simultaneously paying homage to her rural Kentucky roots.

On that stellar project, a song that remains a fan-favourite is ‘Praying Woman’ with Lainey Wilson. As Anne revealed to Holler, Lainey's show of support by collaborating with her was a huge confidence boost as she was starting her country music journey.

Lainey, of course, is one of the biggest artists in modern country music, and a certified flag-bearer of today's Nashville sound. As a result, by co-signing Anne's foray into the genre by singing on ‘Praying Woman’, Lainey helped to add extra momentum and credibility behind the Kentucky native's first country-leaning project, REBEL.

While chatting to Holler, Anne recalls how important this collaboration felt, “We had been friends before. But as we got to work on the song together and seeing her passion behind it and her belief, it was inspiring, just going, ‘We can link arms and go on this journey together, put the song out there and see where it goes’”.

The ‘Who I Am To You’ crooner goes on to stress that Lainey's vote of confidence helped to underline that Anne was on the path she was meant to be on, “It definitely reassured me that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing in the right genre”.

Elsewhere in her conversation with Holler, Anne cites Lainey, Morgan Wallen, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton as some of the country artists that have helped shape her sound, “It was always half country and half Christian in the car with my parents. The radio was always on, so my brother and I grew up on both and I love both equally. In terms of the influences on REBEL, Morgan Wallen was the biggest one. I love his music and he's been really inspiring, just in writing songs that feel authentic to me. Lainey Wilson too, I love her, as well as Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. I grew up on them and like they've been huge influences on both records”.

Anne has since gone on to open for Wallen, a moment she has referenced as another major milestone as she continues to cement herself as both a Christian and country powerhouse.

Since Anne's decision to move into country music, while still infusing her soul-stirring Christian message into her songs, there has been an influx of faith-based artists exploring country music, such as Brandon Lake, Forrest Frank and Josiah Queen. Just this week, Christian rapper Hulvey teased his first ever country song.

Lake, in particular, has been hinting at a full-blown country project on the horizon, which is expected to feature collaborations with Thomas Rhett, HARDY, Russell Dickerson, Tyler Hubbard, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson, Bailey Zimmerman and more.

As a result, there's now a much more fluid boundary between country and Contemporary Christian Music. But back in 2024 when Anne was making her move into Nashville scene, it was certainly less of an accepted concept, making ‘Praying Woman with Lainey and the REBEL album as a whole feel like a key turning-point.

Now, with Anne kicking off her next era with the vulnerable new single, ‘Who I Am To You’, we're excited to see which other country duets she has in store for us. We're hoping that, at some point in the future, we get to see these two Wilsons - who, despite their shared last name, are not sisters - joining forces on a song once again.