A few years ago, singer/songwriter Anne Wilson was living in Lexington, Kentucky and aspiring to become an astronaut. But when tragedy struck with the loss of her brother, the then 15-year-old received a sign from the Lord to be her family’s anchor and made her first public musical performance when she sang her song “What A Beautiful Name” at his funeral.
“I heard God say to me, clear as day, ‘Anne, are you going to trust Me?’ I turned around right in that room, and I spoke to Jesus, and I said ‘Jesus, I trust you,’” says Wilson about the transformative moment to our reporters back in 2021. “All of a sudden, the weight of death was lifted fully off my shoulders, and I felt like I could breathe. I had this assurance that God was going to pull me through this tragedy to the other side.”
From that point on, the talented teen used music as an outlet to not only cope with her brother’s passing, but also strengthen her relationship with God. And after her emotional performance spread like wildfire online, Anne landed a recording contract with Capitol Christian Group and UMG Nashville, where she went on to release her single “My Jesus” along with an album of the same name that earned the now 22-year-old her first GRAMMY nomination, an AMA nomination, a Billboard Music Award, two GMA Dove Awards and two K-LOVE Fan Awards.
Anne is truly one of Nashville’s most inspiring young trailblazers across formats, and CMT is recognizing her for her hard work at the 2024 CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas this Sunday (April 7) by including the music video for “Rain In The Rearview” as one of the six stunning visuals nominated for “Breakthrough Female Video of the Year” at the big show, which — according to the CMT — is the best video from a female artist’s major breakthrough album.
Noting that she was “blown away” upon hearing the big news from her manager, Anne tells Celeb Secrets that moments like these make everything she encounters while telling stories through music all worth it.
“I was really not expecting that. My manager called and I was just like ‘wait is this real?’ I was so blown away,” Anne says of her initial reaction. “CMT has been really supportive of me since the beginning of my career. It’s so surreal.”
When reflecting on her time working on “Rain In The Rearview,” the bona fide songstress revealed that she shot the visual with her crew in the early hours of the morning in the height of freezing rain in the middle of November.
“I got so sick from filming that music video… it was horrible and miserable,” she recalls. “But it turned out to be this incredible, so for it to be nominated — even if it doesn’t win — made all the pain and suffering we had to go through that night worth it.”
With only a few days left until the big show, Anne says that she’s excited to walk the red carpet as a first-time nominee. But in between making her way to the Moody Center this weekend, Anne is gearing up for the release of her new album Rebel, which drops on all music streaming platforms later this month (April 19).
When speaking of the record, Anne tells us that she not only can’t wait for people to hear the songs she’s worked so hard on for the last couple of years, but also hopes people can find the courage to be authentically who God made them to be thanks to upbeat sounds and inspiring lyrics.
“I think in the world that we live in today, if you have faith or you claim faith, it’s almost like you are the odd one out. But I think in reality, it should be welcomed to talk about it. The world talks about all these different subjects, but when we talk about faith, it somehow makes us the ones who stand out; and for me, that meant being a rebel. As a Christian and a person of faith, that’s really what a rebel is in the world that we live in today because no one is willing to talk about it,” Anne explains.
“The record as a whole is written out of the place of what does it mean to be a rebel in the world that we live in today. It’s all about being who you are and not following what the world wants you to be. It’s really about being authentically who God made you to be,” she continues.
Blending faith with a little bit of country, Anne co-wrote all of the songs on the 16-track project. It features collaborations with artists like Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis and Chris Tomlin and shows a more mature side to the budding superstar.
“Making this record felt like making a mature version of me than the last record,” she shares. “It felt like it was just naturally leaning more country. it wasn’t necessarily intentionally thought out, but it was more just natural of what the songs that were flowing out of me were just a little more country than the last record.”
While we wait for more music from Anne Wilson, you can see if she wins “Female Breakthrough Video of the Year” by tuning into the 2024 CMT Music Awards, which air LIVE from the Moody Center in Austin, TX on Sunday, April 7th @ 8/7c on CBS and Paramount+.
You can watch the music video for “Rain In The Rearview” below:
For more coverage from the 2024 CMT Music Awards, click here. For Country news, visit CelebSecretsCountry.com.
