Country superstar Lainey Wilson took center stage during the 2024 People's Choice Awards. After channeling '90s Shania Twain on the red carpet, The "Heart Like a Truck" hitmaker, debuted her brand new single "Country's Cool Again," an ode to country music's universal appeal, during the night's first musical performance. Wilson's performance doubled as a retrospective on her incredible career rise; she closed out the performance with a medley of her hits "Things a Man Oughta Know," "Heart Like a Truck" and "Watermelon Moonshine."
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Shortly after her performance, Wilson was presented with the People's Choice Award for Female Country Artist of the Year.
"Thank y'all for letting me tell my story and somehow finding your story within the lyrics, within the melodies, within the guitar riffs," Wilson said during her acceptance speech. "Country music makes you feel at home and I think everybody wants to feel at home."
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Wilson also took the moment to shout out her family, faith, boyfriend Duck Hodges and her fans.
"Thank you to my momma, my daddy, my family, my hometown, my team...Duck, I love you back there. My Lord and savior Jesus Christ, I couldn't do this without him guiding me every single step of the way. But also I want to thank the fans...I couldn't do this without y'all...y'all keep showing up and I'll keep showing up too."
The People's Choice Awards, hosted by actor Simu Liu, aired live on Sunday, Feb. 18 on NBC, Peacock and E! from the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif.
Other country stars nominated for People's Choice Awards include Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Gabby Barrett, Kelsea Ballerini, Megan Moroney, Shania Twain, Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Hardy, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan and Kane Brown.
