Lainey Wilsontook the scenic route to letting the world in on her romance with boyfriend Devlin “Duck” Hodges.Aftertwo and a half years of dating, the “Heart Like a Truck” singer, 31,revealed her relationshipfor the first time last month at the2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, where the former NFL player, 27, joined her as her date.“I said, ‘We gonna see if you’re in it for the right reasons.’ Turns out, he is,” Wilson tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. “Somebody said how funny it was watching him high-five all of my artist friends at the ACMs, and I said, ‘Those arehisfriends!’“SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty"He’ll FaceTime me, and he’ll be with HARDY and Morgan [Wallen] and Luke [Combs], and I’m like, ‘Stop stealing all my buddies,'” she continues. “They’ll always be out golfing and drinking a beer. I don’t have to convince anybody to like him. He’s a very lovable person.”Lainey Wilson and boyfriend Devlin “Duck” Hodges in May 2023.John Shearer/GettyThe couple started dating in 2021 after meeting through mutual friends in Nashville.“We went to this old place called Silverados, and it had free beer and wine from 5 to 10 p.m.,” she says. “I was like, ‘This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is gonna work out.’“Now that the cat’s out of the bag with her relationship, Wilson — who is thecover star of StyleWatch’s Summer Edition— says “it feels really good to talk about it."“Duck is the kind of dude who high-fives me on the way in the door and on the way out and says, ‘Go get it,’” she says. “He knows how important this dream is to me.“Lainey Wilson.After more than a decade of grinding in Nashville, Wilson finally broke through when her songs were featured onYellowstonein 2019. Two years later, her catchy single “Things a Man Oughta Know” hit No. 1 on the country charts.Since then, Wilson’s star has only continued to rise. Her 2022 anthem, “Heart Like a Truck,” is featured in the Ram Trucks commercial and is taking over airwaves, and she picked up four trophies at the ACMs (including album of the year for her fourth studio L.P.Bell Bottom Country) in May.As she works on her next album, Wilson says, the thing inspiring her the most right now is her “healthy relationship” with Hodges, whom she calls “one of my biggest cheerleaders and champions.”“I was never really able to write love songs, because I don’t know if I had actually felt it, but I’m writing me some love songs now,” she says. “I’m grateful for him.”
Lainey Wilsontook the scenic route to letting the world in on her romance with boyfriend Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
Aftertwo and a half years of dating, the “Heart Like a Truck” singer, 31,revealed her relationshipfor the first time last month at the2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, where the former NFL player, 27, joined her as her date.
“I said, ‘We gonna see if you’re in it for the right reasons.’ Turns out, he is,” Wilson tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. “Somebody said how funny it was watching him high-five all of my artist friends at the ACMs, and I said, ‘Those arehisfriends!’”
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty
“He’ll FaceTime me, and he’ll be with HARDY and Morgan [Wallen] and Luke [Combs], and I’m like, ‘Stop stealing all my buddies,'” she continues. “They’ll always be out golfing and drinking a beer. I don’t have to convince anybody to like him. He’s a very lovable person.”
Lainey Wilson and boyfriend Devlin “Duck” Hodges in May 2023.John Shearer/Getty
John Shearer/Getty
The couple started dating in 2021 after meeting through mutual friends in Nashville.
“We went to this old place called Silverados, and it had free beer and wine from 5 to 10 p.m.,” she says. “I was like, ‘This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is gonna work out.’”
Now that the cat’s out of the bag with her relationship, Wilson — who is thecover star of StyleWatch’s Summer Edition— says “it feels really good to talk about it.”
“Duck is the kind of dude who high-fives me on the way in the door and on the way out and says, ‘Go get it,’” she says. “He knows how important this dream is to me.”
Lainey Wilson.
After more than a decade of grinding in Nashville, Wilson finally broke through when her songs were featured onYellowstonein 2019. Two years later, her catchy single “Things a Man Oughta Know” hit No. 1 on the country charts.
Since then, Wilson’s star has only continued to rise. Her 2022 anthem, “Heart Like a Truck,” is featured in the Ram Trucks commercial and is taking over airwaves, and she picked up four trophies at the ACMs (including album of the year for her fourth studio L.P.Bell Bottom Country) in May.
As she works on her next album, Wilson says, the thing inspiring her the most right now is her “healthy relationship” with Hodges, whom she calls “one of my biggest cheerleaders and champions.”
“I was never really able to write love songs, because I don’t know if I had actually felt it, but I’m writing me some love songs now,” she says. “I’m grateful for him.”
source: people.com
