There’s few cooler than Lainey Wilson in country music right now and Whataburger has always been cool with the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.

So it makes sense that the expanding Texas burger chain would want to cook something up with Wilson, who says growing up in a small town in Louisiana she and her friends “always ended the night at Whataburger.”

Whataburger has enlisted Wilson as its 2025 brand ambassador, the restaurant chain announced Friday, noting how, in a press release, “Lainey’s unmistakable style and authentic charm paired with Whataburger’s unforgettable flavors and welcoming hospitality – it’s a match made in Southern heaven.”

Lainey Wilson: ‘Never a bad time’ for Whataburger’s honey butter chicken biscuit

Just as Wilson and her friends would wind up at Whataburger “after late night drives,” now the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit has become her post-show tradition, she told USA TODAY.

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To celebrate the partnership, Whataburger will be giving away free Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 6 a.m.-11 a.m. for in-store and drive-thru orders (no purchase necessary, one per person, while supplies last).

“There’s never a bad time to go and get one of them,” Wilson said. “If I was on death row and they said, ‘What would you want?’ I think I would mention that.”

About being Whataburger’s brand ambassador, Wilson said, “I’m really proud of this partnership. It just kind of feels full circle to me and my story, and just brings back those good old memories.”

The reigning Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year – she also won the Country Music Association entertainer of the year in 2023 and co-hosted the 2024 event – has finally gotten a chance to catch her breath.

“I got about a month break, just to kind of chill and prop my feet up and really think about and soak in everything that’s happened in the past couple years,” said Wilson, who also has appeared in the TV series, “Yellowstone.”

Wilson headed to Grammys and cooking up some new music

Wilson is headed to the Grammys, scheduled for Feb. 2 in Los Angeles, where her album “Whirlwind” is up for best country album. “Completely heartbreaking,” is how she described the wildfires, which have been ravaging the area for more than a week. “Me and my team, we’re figuring out what we can do to help.”

This past year in the U.S., she said, “it seems like just natural disaster after natural disaster. It puts a lot of things into perspective, but I truly do feel like music is healing. I don’t know what I would have done without music in certain times of my life.”

Then in March, Wilson has tour dates in Europe and they U.K. “I’ve been touring over there. I think this will be my sixth or seventh time, but I love going over there,” she said. “It’s really cool to see how country music is doing its thing around the world. I’m just really proud to be part of this generation of country music because it’s just killing it. I think it’s because everyone loves the storytelling aspect of country music.”

Wilson is also working on some new music. “I’ve got some stuff in the pipeline,” she said.

When reminded that she referenced a competing fast-food chain (Sonic) in the song “Live Off,” from her 2022 album “Bell Bottom Country,” it’s suggested that Whataburger might be a tougher lyrical challenge.

“That’s the thing about being a country singer-songwriter is I can somehow make ‘dog’ and ‘cat’ rhyme,” she said. “I think we can figure it out with ‘Whataburger’.”

Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider &@mikegsnider.bsky.social &@mikesnider.

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