Taylor Swift Says Lainey Wilson is “One of the Coolest People in the World” at Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction
By Maxim Mower
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During her Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction, Taylor Swift thanked Lainey Wilson for honouring her with a captivating cover of Swift's ‘Love Story’ at the ceremony.
Swift began her speech by underlining how much she admires Wilson, “I first of all want to say thank you to Lainey Wilson, who I just think is one of the coolest people in the world”.
The ‘Cruel Summer’ singer-songwriter went on to shout-out Wilson's uplifting new single, ‘Kinda Love It’, “For saying yes and doing that, and I've had her new single on repeat. It just puts me in the best mood. It's called ‘Kind of Love It’. Check it out”.
Swift was being welcomed into the hallowed Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, with the ‘Tim McGraw’ hitmaker becoming the youngest person to ever join the institution.
While Wilson showcased her sincere appreciation for Swift in song-form, Brad Paisley - a longstanding friend of the global pop icon - delivered a warm, heartfelt introduction.
Swift poked fun at her time on tour with Paisley in 2007, revealing that the country chart-topper pulled a major prank on his opener - one that she didn't forget about in a hurry.
Swift playfully recalled, “Brad Paisley, thank you so much for that induction. I'm really surprised to see you here, actually, because we've been estranged since 2007. I think you know why. He took a tour prank too far, filled my entire tour bus with live crickets. Thousands of them. For months, I couldn't sleep. Just chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp all night. I considered buying a pet lizard to eradicate the problem”.
Swift joked, “It was a dark time. But you know what? You did such an amazing job with that introduction. I think we can let bygones be bygones. Yeah, I think we're good now”.
Elsewhere in her moving speech, Swift reflected on her country music roots, and underlined how Nashville would always hold a special place in her heart. The timing of the Pennsylvania native's induction feels significant, given Swift released her first country song in years, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, earlier in 2026 for Toy Story 5.
There are ongoing rumours rumbling that Swift is readying a re-released Taylor's Version of her debut self-titled country album, and if she is, we'd love to see a duet with Wilson. Swift famously joined Wilson for a live-wire rendition of ’Love Story’ in June.
Either way, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony serves as a timely reminder of how country music has influenced Swift, and - crucially - how Swift continues to influence the genre, despite having ventured further into the pop world in recent years.
We're hoping she does have a country project on the horizon - whether it's Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version) or a new record - because, regardless of how traditional country fans might feel about her, one thing that has remained constant throughout Swift's genre-blending is her inimitable and visceral songwriting ability.
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