Lainey Wilson is back on top! The Grand Ole Opry member is celebrating her 8th No. 1 hit with "4X4XU." The song, from her latest Whirlwind album, is inspired by her fiancé, Devlin "Duck" Hodges. Wilson referenced the song when announcing her engagement, captioning the photos of the proposal by saying, "4X4XU forever."
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Wilson had stayed largely away from love songs, until her relationship with Hodges.
"The truth is, I write what I know, and I finally found a man worth writing about," Wilson says (via Songfacts). "So you know it's a love song because y'all probably thought, 'Dang, she ain't got it in her, she ain't got it in her'... but I do. I got me a cheerleader."
Hodges might bring out the emotions in Wilson, but don't expect all of her songwriting to be sweet and sappy.
"I am in love, which is weird for me," Wilson tells Audacy's Katie & Company. "I'm actually able to write those kind of songs. I will say, I don't think I will ever be the kind of love songwriter that's going to be like mushy-gushy, pour my heart out to you. I think it's going to be more like, I'm a strong woman, and I got a man who's okay with it kind of thing. I'm excited to share this side of my life."
Devlin "Duck" Hodges
Wilson and Hodges met in 2021, but waited two years to go public with their relationship. But although she kept Hodges from her fans for a long time, she knew early on that he was perfect for her.
"We went to this old place called Silverados, and it had free beer and wine from 5- 10 p.m.," Wilson tells People. "I was like, 'This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is going to work out.'"
Wilson's friends are glad it worked out too. She might be a country music superstar, but hangs out with her famous friends as much as she does, and sometimes more. Wilson reveals that Hodges and Luke Bryan are especially close.
"He Facetimes me and my boyfriend Duck all the time," Wilson tells Country Countdown USA, speaking of Bryan. "The other day, he called Duck and said, 'Hey man, I'm going to Arkansas to go hunting if you want to join me.' I'm like, 'I can duck hunt too. What about me?' Peyton and Duck are also buddies."
