Lainey Wilson has found herself in many unexpected places since her country music star began rising. Last month, her dream came true when she shared the stage with Dolly Parton for a duet of “I Will Always Love You.” Earlier this month, she welcomed her idol, Randy Travis, to the stage during an Oklahoma show.
On Sunday (March 17,) the GRAMMY winner encountered another unfamiliar situation. The “Watermelon Moonshine” singer chugged alcohol out of a cowboy boot while onstage in Australia.
Watch Lainey Wilson Do a “Shoey”
“I cannot believe I’m drinking beer out of a boot,” Wilson said. “But I’m dang excited about it.”
“You ready, brother?” she added, clinking leather cowboy boots with her guitarist. Together, the two of them participated in a distinctly Aussie tradition known as a “shoey.”
A shoey “involves filling a shoe with an alcoholic beverage and drinking the contents,” according to the ANU Reporter.
“Let’s go, come on! Holler and swaller!” Wilson exclaimed just before she downed the draft.
Fans Are Both Proud and Horrified
The five-time Country Music Association award winner posted footage to Instagram Monday (March 18.) Both Aussie and non-Aussie fans expressed delight — and disgust — in the comments.
“Never been prouder,” country singer Faren Rachels wrote.
Another user commented, “I sure hope those were brand new.” To which another fan replied, “not here in Australia guys that’s the whole point hahaha you’ve just got to hope they wear socks and occasionally put them out in the sun.”
Lainey Wilson’s Big Year
2024 has already been one for the books as far as Wilson is concerned. In February, she took home her first GRAMMY for Best Country Album. And on April 6, she will perform her latest single “Country’s Cool Again” at the 2024 CMT Awards.
Wilson is also nominated for three CMT Awards this year. Her video for “Watermelon Moonshine” is in the running for both Female Video of the Year and the general Video of the Year categories. She was also featured in Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real’s “More Than Friends,” which is up for Collaborative Video of the Year.