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Lainey Wilson remembered a word of advice she received from Keith Urban.
The Whirlwind hitmaker reflected on that moment during a conversation on No Filter, an Australia-based interview podcast hosted by Kate Langbroek. Wilson shared, “he told me it’s better to maintain balance than try to always be achieving it. I ran into him and I was so tired. I had been on the road — I think we played 180-something shows that year — and I saw him. I was just like, ‘I’m tired.’ And he was like, ‘no whining on the yacht.’ And I was like, ‘Keith, you better get up out my face with that!’”
Wilson recently wrapped her “Whirlwind Tour” dates in Australia. During her conversation with Langbroek, former iHeartCountry On The Verge Artist spoke about her 15-year journey in Music City. Wilson, from Baskin, Louisiana, lived in a camper trailer for the first few years she lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Though she faced rejection while building her career, Wilson is now one of the biggest artists in the genre. The reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year spoke about “faith, exhaustion, ambition, meeting Miley Cyrus after years of portraying her on stage,” her fiancé, the engagement and more. Find the full episode on iHeartRadio here.
Wilson is among the country artists nominated at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, returning this spring to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. See the list of country artists nominated here.
Like in years past, iHeartRadio is letting the fans choose the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting begins on January 8th, and will close on March 19th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Tune in to see which artists will take home an iHeartRadio Music Award on Thursday, March 26th at 8pm ET live (PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.