Lainey Wilson once again proved why she holds the title of CMA Entertainer of the Year with a jaw-dropping performance of her latest hit, “4X4XU,” at the 58th Annual CMA Awards. Known for her down-to-earth authenticity and electrifying stage presence, Wilson lit up the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with a performance that was equal parts heartfelt and high-energy. Such a rare thing to have a truly live performance without pitch correcting. It sounds alive! Real talent and real emotion.
Lainey Wilson came into the 2024 CMA Awards as the reigning Entertainer of the Year. Tonight (November 20), she is looking to extend her reign as she is once again nominated for the award alongside Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, and Chris Stapleton. Before they announced the big winner, though, Wilson took the stage and showed the world how she became the CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year with an unforgettable performance of her latest single “4x4xU.”
Wilson called her most recent album Whirlwind because the word encapsulates her life since releasing her breakout album Bell Bottom Country. However, it’s also a fitting description of the Louisiana native every time she takes the stage. Wilson is nothing short of a force of nature when she wraps her hands around a microphone and unleashes her pent-up energy on the crowd. Tonight’s performance was no different.
Wilson went into the CMA Awards with four nominations this year. She earned nominations for both Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year. Additionally, “Watermelon Moonshine” brought her a Single of the Year nod, and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” put her in the running for Music Video of the Year.
Lainey Wilson on Writing “4X4XU”
Whirlwind saw Lainey Wilson writing from uncharted territory. She had gained massive recognition and success and was in a happy relationship. While some songs on the album touch on her current career trajectory, “4X4XU” is about the man who tamed her heart, Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
During a concert earlier this year, Wilson said the song is “About finding that someone that gives you the comfort and peace of home anywhere in the world as long as you’re by their side.” Then, she revealed that Hodges inspired the song. “The truth is, I write what I know, and I finally found a man worth writing about,” she said. “I got me a cheerleader.”
In a recent interview, she reflected on co-writing the song with Jon Decious and Aaron Raitiere. “That one feels right,” she said of the song. “We wrote that song in 30 minutes. I don’t normally write songs in 30 minutes. I’ll write for six hours and maybe come back to it the next day. I want to, like, go through it with a fine-tooth comb but this was not one that I felt I needed to do that,” she recalled. “It just was what it was.”
