Lainey Wilson Says CMA’s Female Vocalist Category Is A ‘Sisterhood’

If there was a breakout star at the 56th Annual CMA Awards last night (11/9), it was Lainey Wilson. Lainey went into the show with six nominations, her first CMA nods in her career, and she won both the New Artist of the Year award and the Female Vocalist Award.

Wilson had some tough competition in the Female Vocalist category. The other nominees were Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Ashley McBryde, and last year's winner Carly Pearce.

When she won, she was shocked and speechless when she got to the podium, but as she told us backstage after her win, she wasn't the only nominee happy about her win. "I think they're really happy for me. I mean, Miranda (Lambert) just came over, and Ashley (McBryde) too, and they have tears in their eyes. They are just as excited for me as I would have been for them."

RELATED: INTERVIEW: Lainey Wilson: Her New Album, Her Cool Cover and Yellowstone

She added, "Every single girl in the category I look up to in some way. A lot of the girls have given me advice, they have pointed me in directions, I mean they have listened to me cry. It's really a sisterhood, it truly is, and they are rooting me on, and I feel the love; it's so genuine and it goes for them too."

Although it was her first nomination in the category, Lainey knew that she had earned it. She said backstage, "It's something really special, and no, in a million years expected it, but I'll take it. I've been here a long time working hard, and they (her fellow nominees) know that about me too, and I think they're really happy for me."

At last night's show, she performed several times, including paying tribute to Alan Jackson and singing "Wait In The Truck" with Hardy.

In late October, Wilson released her sophomore album dubbed Bell Bottom Country and has been on a whirlwind of doing interviews and promoting the new work.

Country music has a new CMA darling this morning (9/7): Lainey Wilson. Miranda Lambert, who has been the CMA's darling for quite some time, posted a headline article to her Insta stories of Lainey topping the CMA's nominations list with six nods total. Lambert wrote over the story, "Hell yeah, she does. Go, friend, go."

RELATED: Read Our 2020 Interview With Lainey Wilson

Wilson got her very first nominations today, and among her six nods are Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. Lainey herself posted to her socials when she heard the news, "6 NOMINATIONS!?!? I'm speechless. While I try to find the words, just know that I'm blown away and so so honored and proud to be nominated. Thank you to the entire country music community! @CountryMusic #CMAawards."

With her new CMA fame fresh today, we look at some of the things that Lainey, who is also currently filming her first acting role on Paramount's Yellowstone series this month, has been up to in the last year.