Is Hardy related to Lainey Wilson?
Short answer – Hardy, whose full name is Michael Wilson Hardy, is a renowned American country music singer and songwriter. Lainey Wilson, on the other hand, is a country music artist who hails from Baskin, Louisiana. Their close professional relationship, along with their mothers being best friends, has led to a deep bond between them. In fact, Lainey Wilson even refers to Hardy as her “brother” in interviews. But despite their strong friendship and professional ties, Hardy and Lainey Wilson do not share a familial connection.
Introduction
If you’re a fan of the music industry, particularly country and western music, you will likely be familiar with both Hardy and Lainey Wilson.
Country music is a music genre that is enjoyed all over the globe, but in the US, particularly the West, it is particularly revered.
While we’ve seen some true country and western legends over the years, the majority of these stars have been male.
Of course, we’ve seen a few exceptions, including the legendary Dolly Parton; women have struggled to break through in this particular genre. Lainey Wilson, however, has done precisely that.
Lainey Wilson, despite her young age, has already left her mark on the country music genre, as has another singer fans will be familiar with, who goes by his stage name of Hardy.
The two collaborated together in 2022, and it was this collab that got tongues wagging and set the rumors swirling.
Because of their chemistry and some other similarities, which we’ll look at later, people often wonder whether the two are related or in a relationship.
So, are Hardy and Lainey Wilson related? Let’s take a look.
Who is Hardy?
Hardy attends the 53rd annual CMA Awards at the Music City Center – @Getty
Born on the 13th of September, 1990, Michael Wilson Hardy, or ‘Hardy’ as his stage name, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who specializes in country and western music.
Born in Mississippi, Hardy was a fan of music and performing from a young age.
It was actually his father that got him interested in music and inspired him to start performing.
He and his father would listen to music together, and he has stated that this is one of his fondest memories of getting into the business.
He would write his first song while in high school so as to impress a girl.
After he graduated, Hardy would visit his sister in Nashville, Tennessee, and it was here that his music career really took off.
He saw that it was possible to make music as a career.
After meeting a country music duo by the name of Florida Georgia Line at a party, he would eventually go on to write music for them.
Because of this, the duo enjoyed great success, and in 2018, Hardy was signed to Big Mouth Records.
HARDY performs during Faster Horses Festival at Michigan International Speedway – @Getty
His first release came in October of that same year when he released the EP Ole Boy, followed by the single ‘Rednecker’ in 2019.
In 2020, he released his first album, which he called ‘A Rock,’ and in 2023, he released the highly anticipated ‘The Mockingbird & The Crow’ album to critical acclaim.
Hardy has been nominated for numerous Academy of Country Music Awards since 2019, including ‘Songwriter of the Year’ and ‘Best New Male Artist.’
In late August 2022, Hardy would collab with Lainey Wilson on the hugely successful song Wait in the Truck. This is the song that has caused people to ask if Hardy and Lainey Wilson are related.
Who is Lainey Wilson?
Lainey Wilson attends the 2022 CMT Music Awards at Nashville Municipal Auditorium – @Getty
Born in Baskin, Louisiana, on May 19th, Lainey Wilson grew interested in music from a very young age.
Her father taught her the basics of playing the piano in High School, and in 2006, she released an EP (Extended Play) on Myspace, which she titled ‘Country Girls Rule.’
As Lainey grew up in the country, she was not a typical girly girl and was instead more of a Tomboy.
Due to her love of performing, however, she did, in fact, take a job as a Hannah Montana impersonator.
After leaving school, she would move to Nashville, where she would live in an RV outside of a recording studio.
She would release her self-titled album in 2014, followed by ‘Tougher’ in 2016, which was her second album.
It wasn’t until 2018, however, that Lainey really got her big break when she signed with BBR Music record label.
Her first mainstream release was her third EP, which she called ‘Redneck Hollywood’ in 2019. Her debut single would shortly follow, which she called ‘Dirty Looks.’
After touring with Morgan Wallen and getting attention from Country Music Television, Wilson really shot to fame in late 2019 when a number of her songs were featured in the Paramount hit show starring Kevin Costner, ‘Yellowstone.’
Wait in the Truck
Lainey Wilson, winner of the Album of the Year award for “Bell Bottom Country,” Music Event of the Year – @Getty
In August 2022, Hardy approached Lainey Wilson and asked if she would like to collaborate on a single together. She, of course, said yes.
‘Get in the Truck’ is a Hardy single featuring Lainey, which tells the story of a man avenging a battered woman after she is attacked and ultimately being incarcerated as a result.
The music video featured Hardy, taking the life of a man attacking a battered woman, played by Lainey Wilson.
It also shows Lainey’s character visiting Hardy in jail. It was critically acclaimed and was called ‘Music Video of the Year’ by a lot of critics.
The song’s title refers to the fact that Hardy’s character tells the woman to ‘wait in the truck’ as he takes care of business, i.e., deals with her attacker.
@Getty
So, are Hardy and Lainey Wilson related?
Because of the fact that Hardy and Lainey both share the same last name, ‘Wilson,’ not to mention the fact that they both make country music and collaborated together in a video that implied they were together on-screen, people have started to wonder if they are related. So, are Hardy and Lainey Wilson related? Well, we can exclusively reveal that… No, they are not. Hardy and Lainey Wilson may share a last name, but that is where the similarities end.
In fact, in 2022, Hardy married Caleigh Ryan, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2017.
Hardy and Caleigh Ryan attend the 15th Annual Academy Of Country Music Honors – @Getty
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Lee Parry is a writer and blogger originally from Manchester, UK, and he has a B.A. in Modern Languages from Manchester Metropolitan University. Parry occasionally teaches English and spends most of his free time reading.