ACM Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson is tough as nails. She’s also spent time impersonating Miley Cyrus’ iconic character Hannah Montana.
Those are just two of the things fans will learn about the singer in the new exhibit “Lainey Wilson: Tough as Nails.” It just opened at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to a CMHOF press release, the exhibit traces the singer’s story from her childhood spent on her family’s farm in Baskin, Louisiana, to her rise to worldwide fame as an unstoppable force in country music.
“It’s a dream come true to have my own exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and such an incredible honor to be included next to so many of my heroes and legendary artists,” said Wilson in the press release. “These past few years have been a complete whirlwind, and it’s going to be really amazing to see the whole journey captured in the exhibit, along with some special items from growing up in Louisiana. I can’t wait to see how it turned out and for my family, friends and fans to check it out.”
‘Tough As Nails’ Features a Wide Variety of Memorabilia
Photo by Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and MuseumThe exhibit includes a wide variety of memorabilia from Lainey’s childhood and throughout her career. That includes the outfit she wore for her Grand Ole Opry debut (bellbottoms of course!). Wilson sported a floral-pattern shirt, Cat O’ Nine studded bell bottoms and rhinestone-embellished Kippys belt for that very first performance on February 14, 2020.
Wilson also contributed some very personal items, including a journal from when she was 16-years-old. In it she wrote, “My dream is to become a country singer/songwriter. I know I can do it.”
Photo by Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum“From a young age, Lainey Wilson had an unwavering vision and faith in herself,” said Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in a press release.
“This exhibit will examine the seeds of her career, including the requisite talent, hard work and ingenuity throughout her ten-year journey in Nashville that fueled her emergence as a globally popular and beloved artist. As her career has flourished, she continues to reflect these roots and core values in her music and life.”
Other items on display include:
- The first tooled leather saddle Wilson used as a child.
- A Montana Silversmiths custom-made silver and gold belt buckle. It’s engraved with the brand of her family’s farm in Baskin, Louisiana, and ornamented with rhinestones. Wilson wore it to the Country Music Association Awards in 2022.
- A program for Baskin School’s kindergarten graduation listing Wilson’s first public performance, when she sang “Butterfly Kisses.”
- One of Wilson’s first hats, given to her by a fellow musician who is also a hatmaker.
- A Go Vicki! fringed jacket belonging to Wilson’s mother. Wilson wore it when she performed at Saddlebags, a country music venue in Savannah, Georgia, on February 9, 2018.
- A Wrangler trench coat, denim vest and jeans and hat. Wilson wore these during her halftime performance at the Thanksgiving game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants on in 2024.
- The denim vest and jeans Wilson wore in her role as Abby in the series finale of “Yellowstone.”
- The rawhide leather shirt and suede bell bottoms Wilson wore for her 2024 album, Whirlwind.
- The patchwork-pattern blazer and matching bell bottoms Wilson wore on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” May 26, 2022.
- The satin bell-bottom jumpsuit Wilson wore on the red carpet at the CMA Awards in 2023.
New Exhibit Reveals Lainey Wilson Used to Impersonate Miley Cyrus
Photo by Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and MuseumEven die-hard Lainey Wilson fans may be surprised to find out how the singer made spending money during her teenage years. She did it by impersonating the fictional pop superstar Hannah Montana, played by Miley Cyrus. Lainey performed at birthday parties and other events. She even booked herself under her own name as Montana’s opening act.
But she started performing long before that, singing publicly for the first time at her kindergarten graduation. She was writing songs by the time she was 10-years-old.
How to See ‘Lainey Wilson: Tough As Nails’ at CMHOF
The exhibition “Lainey Wilson: Tough as Nails” runs through June 2026 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.
You can find tickets here.
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Lainey Wilson: Hannah Montana Impersonator?