Lainey Wilson, Trisha Yearwood discuss early country radio struggles and advice from Dolly Parton during Country Radio Seminar

On Thursday (February 29), three-time Grammy winner Trisha Yearwood hosted a conversation with reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson as part of the 2024 Country Radio Seminar in downtown Nashville.

Among the topics they discussed were the importance of female artists standing up for themselves, similarities in their respective career paths, and battling the impostor syndrome.

Both have carved out multi-faceted careers, with the No. 1 Advertising sign Country Airplay hits, awards and TV work. (Wilson appeared in the series Yellowstonewhile Yearwood is known for her Food Network cooking series Trisha's Southern Kitchenas well as roles in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Womanthe live televised musical The passion and a recurring role in the military drama PROJECTION).

In May 1991, Yearwood's debut single “She's in Love With the Boy” charted on the Country Airplay chart. by early August of that year, it had reached its peak. In 2021, Wilson scored her first Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hit with “Things a Man Oughta Know” and followed it up with a string of chart-toppers.

They discussed the meteoric rise of their careers, with Yearwood recalling that period surrounding radio success for her debut radio single, “She's in Love With the Boy” as feeling like “a dream come true,” but he also described it as “holding a runaway train and just trying to keep up. And a lot of it is a blur, until I had to figure out how to be in the moment.”

“I'm in the process of that right now … the last few years have been a whirlwind in the best way,” Wilson responded, adding, “Someone was telling me — I think it was back in 2017 when I signed my first publishing deal — they said, 'You're going to feel like taking drugs behind a ski boat for years.'

Receiving country radio

Wilson (who won her first Grammy this year for her album Bell Bottom Country) has scored four No. 1 Country Airplay hits: “Things a Man Oughta Know,” the Jelly Roll collaboration “Save Me,” the two-week chart-topper “Never Say Never” (featuring Cole Swindell), and the three-week solo No. .1, “Watermelon Moonshine.”

But Wilson recalled how when she was first getting her music on the radio, there was at least one difficult encounter with one radio executive, stressing the importance of not taking no for an answer.

“The radio tour was difficult. It was really, really hard, I'm not going to lie to you,” Wilson said. “He taught me a lot. I made a lot of friends along the way that I still text and talk to all the time. But I remember a certain attitude: I come in and we were waiting in the foyer. He brings us to his office and said, “Play me what you got.” That was my first single, 'Dirty Looks'. He said, “You should have left your guitar in the car. I don't want to hear you play. I want to hear how it sounds from the speakers.' Well, it had computer speakers like it was 1997, so of course you couldn't understand anything the song was saying. He heard it twice, back to back. I just sat there and let the second time finish. He leaned across his desk and said, “Lainey, you're just not that good.” And I leaned over his desk and said, “Anyway, in the 10 years I've been in Nashville, you've been telling me that doesn't mean st.”

He went on to add: “Light another fire under me. After I left there, I said, “Okay, at the end of the day, you put yourself out there. Not everyone is going to like you or love you… I think times like that are not fun. But if anything, they build character. They give you fun stories to talk about with Trisha Yearwood.”

Yearwood, who has won five No. 1 Country Airplay hits, offered her own rocky encounter during a radio interview when a radio interviewer reported a false story about Yearwood that had been published in a tabloid.

“I did a show and I went to the radio station that was sponsoring the show,” Yearwood recalled. “DJ thought it was funny…and he said, 'Let's talk about it.' I said, 'I can't believe you'd ask me that question.' And I walked away and I've never done anything like that.” She went on to add that , “He was very apologetic, but to tell you — and I don't know if you've had this experience yet — but I wish I'd learned sooner. I was about your age when I was like, 'I'm kind and nice, but there are some things that aren't okay.' It's okay to say that's not right.”

Leadership with purpose — and advice from Dolly

Yearwood also noted the importance of being selective about the projects you agree to take on, to make sure they align with an artist's goals.

“I never said, 'I want to have a cookbook. I want to do a cooking show,” Yearwood said. “But I was open to opportunities when they came. And I've said no to a lot more things than I've said yes to. But I say yes to what feels right to me. And that's always the bar to follow. People can read things when they know they're not genuine.”

“There were definitely times when I felt like I was doing it all,” Wilson said, citing some advice she received from Dolly Parton. “I asked her, 'How do you decide on all the things you do?' He said, “It has to be something I'm very passionate about and excited to do. It's not like that, then I don't.”

Navigating social media

Wilson also shared advice she wrote shortly after meeting Yearwood for the first time. He said: “For all of you right now, the line between being loved and being hated by the world is shrinking every day. I was like, 'Oh Lord' — because sometimes people love you, people hate you, and sometimes people hate you because people love you.”

“That's true: There's this whole thing that everybody's rooting [for you], then when you get to the top of the pile, now we have to find a way to make her not superhuman. Now we have to take her down a peg,” Yearwood said. “I guess that's human nature and the social media aspect makes the world bigger and smaller.”

He added: “Every time I read the comments — God, don't do this. I used to read and get so upset about things and call my folks and say, “We're getting off social media.” And he was like, “Actually, you can't do that.” I wanted to interact, but then I realized I also had to protect my mental health.”

“Yes, because even if you put it in your eyes for a split second, your heart is still beating… you're still human.”

Battling impostor syndrome

They also fielded questions from the audience, including one about staying focused as a person during a career and fighting impostor syndrome.

“I have a lot of people in my life who remind me of my hard work,” Wilson said. “Even people like Luke Combs. The day after the CMAs, she texts me this huge novel and says, “Lainey, I just want you to remember that you're that girl who moved here and lived in this camper trailer and I knew you back then. I'm so proud to see your hard work recognized and don't for one second think you didn't deserve this.” It's keeping people like those close people who lift you up — also just talking to the Lord. At the end of the day, I had to keep those things very close, because this job is hard.”