Lainey Wilson turns heads with bold new look following emotional confession

Country superstar Lainey Wilson stole the show at the Billboard Women in Music event in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, dressed in her best Western-inspired look, complete with her trusty cowboy hat.

The 33-year-old looked incredible in black pants, a black jacket studded with floral appliqués, and her black hat. She added sparkling chandelier earrings to complete the look, and wore her long blonde locks in a low ponytail with face-framing tendrils. 

She attended the event alongside A-listers like Brandi Carlisle, Diane Warren, Coco Jones and Tyla, and came to represent the country music scene with her head-turning outfit. 

Lainey’s appearance comes just days after she headlined the Stagecoach festival to rave reviews, and even took a moment to mingle with the crowd before her performance. In a video posted to social media, the blonde beauty transformed into her alter-ego, Britney West, and rocked a California girl accent and a brunette wig. 

“Well, I can’t even talk like that until I get the wig on. Got it fried, dyed and laid to the side, baby,” the Louisiana native said. She then interviewed members of the crowd while dressed in the disguise. “They have absolutely NO CLUE,” she quipped to the camera, before interviewing a young girl who was looking forward to Lainey’s set. 

“I’m not sure about that Lainey Wilson girl. She’s really just a huge horse’s [expletive],” she said to the girl while in character, before revealing her true self.

© AFP via Getty Images

Lainey’s anonymity has all but disappeared in recent years due to her sudden stardom, which caused several mental health issues for the singer-songwriter. “A couple of years ago was wild. When opportunities come at you, and you didn’t have any for so long, you want to just take them all,” she told People. 

See Lainey behind-the-scenes at Stagecoach below…

“And I guess a little bit of that was probably fear that they weren’t always going to be there. And I think, too, I was probably finding my self-worth in what I was doing.“

“I had reached a point where I was just like, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same,‘” she continued. 

© Getty Images

“I was extremely anxious, and anxiousness caused depression. And it’s like the depression caused more anxiety because I was like, ‘Why in the world am I depressed during this time of my life? This is everything I’ve ever wanted.‘” 

© Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

Lainey went on to share that she had “several breakdowns” during this time, and also weathered a panic attack. “I had several breakdowns, I guess you could say. I was just losing it. I was like, I don’t know if I can go any further.“

“I was spiraling out of control,” she admitted. “And then it’s like the fear of thinking that you’re always going to be in that mindset causes more anxiety. It’s just like a vicious cycle.” The “4x4xU” singer explained that she wanted “to encourage people to speak up” and get the help they needed when experiencing a mental health episode.