NFL
Who is Lainey Wilson, the artist performing in the Giants vs Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game halftime show?
The Cowboys' annual Thanksgiving game will feature NFC East foes Giants as the opponent and country music artist Lainey Wilson as the halftime performer.
The Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game is an annual tradition dating all the way back to 1966. The halftime performances at the game began in 1997 when Reba McEntire kicked off the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign.
Now, halftime performances are a tradition as well. Last year, the Cowboys welcomed Dolly Parton on stage. Though it’s not always a country music artist who performs, it quite often is. This year is following that theme as the Cowboys and Giants game will feature singer/songwriter Lainey Wilson at halftime.
Who is Lainey Wilson?
Lainey Wilson is a Grammy-winning country music artist. Just a few weeks ago, Wilson took home her third trophy for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2024 CMA Awards, which she also hosted alongside country singer Luke Bryan and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. She also won Music Video of the Year for her hit song “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” from her album Bell Bottom Country.
Now 32 years old, Wilson moved to Nashville, Tennessee from Louisiana when she was just 19 with dreams of becoming a country music star. For many years, however, she struggled to find success as many music executives thought her style didn’t fit the genre with some calling her twangy voice “too country” even for country.
But Wilson did not give up. Eventually she was given a boost when some of her songs were featured on the popular TV series Yellowstone in 2019 that she finally rose to prominence. And in 2022, she was even featured in four episodes of the fifth season of the show.
At that point, people started to take notice of Wilson and her career took off. By 2023, she received the most CMA nominations of any artist and ended up winning five. In February 2024, her album Bell Bottom Country won the Grammy for Best Country Album.
At the Cowboys and Giants halftime show, Wilson will perform songs from her most recent album, Whirlwind, which she released in August, plus classics from her older albums. She will also have a special surprise guest coming on stage to join her.
“It’s an honor to follow in the footsteps of legendary performers like my friend Dolly Parton, The Jonas Brothers, and Reba, of course, to kick off The Salvation Army’s iconic Red Kettle Campaign,” said Wilson. “Join me at the Red Kettle this Christmas season because we truly can do more good when we come together to serve those in need in our communities.”
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