Lainey Wilson’s Musical Journey – From Being Rejected By The Voice To Becoming A Country Music Superstar
It’s hard to believe, but The Voice rejected Lainey Wilson seven times before she became the country music superstar she is today.
While Wilson soared to popularity in 2020 following the release of her single “Things a Man Oughta Know,” she’d been chasing her country music dream for years prior.
Now, she’s one of the genre’s biggest stars, with multiple #1 hits to her name. She’s also a Grand Ole Opry member, a CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year, and a Grammy winner.
Wilson turned to shows like American Idol and The Voice while trying to make a name for herself. She auditioned for American Idol seven times and never made it past the first round.
It was the same with The Voice. As Wilson revealed in an interview with ET, she also auditioned for The Voice seven times and received seven rejections.
“I didn’t even make it to the part…where they turn the chairs around,” she said with a laugh. “But hey, it just kind of lit a fire under me, and I said, ‘Ya gotta keep on going.'”
Wilson later returned to The Voice to perform during the Season 25 finale. That’s when Reba McEntire surprised her with the invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry.
Lainey Wilson Serves As Team Reba’s Playoff Advisor
Years after being rejected by The Voice, Wilson has helped coach contestants on the show. She recently joined Season 26 as Team Reba’s playoff advisor.
Wilson advised McEntire’s five team members as they prepared for the playoff round. Their performances aired on Monday (November 25). After the playoffs concluded, McEntire chose Adam Bohanan and Danny Joseph as the two contestants to advance to the live shows.
During rehearsals, McEntire and Wilson talked about how she was rejected by The Voice seven times.
“You tried out for ‘The Voice’ seven times,” Reba said, “…and look where you are now!”
“I tried out seven times…It’s pretty crazy!” Wilson commented.
“That shows you, [that] if you want something, you’ve gotta fight for it,” Reba said. “You gotta stay in there. You’re gonna get a lot of ‘Nos.’ That’s what we keep telling everybody when we have to make decisions!”
Considering her own past with the show, Wilson brought things full circle by helping a new generation of artists as an advisor on The Voice.
Check out the video below to see how the Voice contestants reacted when they saw Wilson in the rehearsal room for the first time. They were thrilled, to say the least!