Lauren Alaina

[Kim]

Lauren Alaina releases ‘Wildflower’ TODAY (October 11). The album will have 12 songs, including one from the ‘American Idol’ runner-up’s own pen and one co-written by Carrie Underwood.

“I have always dreamed of making an album and I can’t believe it’s actually happening,” Lauren says. “It’s because of the fans who voted for me on American Idol that I am here, so I am dedicating this album to you. I hope you love it!”

"I'm kinda new to the whole artist thing; a fan is basically what I am," Lauren acknowledges. "So when I was listening to my songs, I tried to think if my favorite artists, like Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert, were singing some of these songs, which ones would I want to hear? That's how I picked my songs."


Lauren Alaina ‘Wildflower’ Track Listing (With Songwriters):


1. ‘Georgia Peaches’ (Blair Daly/Mallary Hope/Rachel Proctor)
2. ’Growing Her Wings (Nicolle Galyon/Nicole Witt)
3. ‘Tupelo’ (Hillary Lindsey/Steve McEwan/Gordie Sampson)
4. ‘The Middle’ (Zac Maloy/Rachel Proctor/David Hodges)
5. ‘Like My Mother Does’ (Nathan Chapman/Liz Rose/Nikki Williams)
6. ’She’s A Wildflower’ (Hillary Lindsey/Steve McEwan/Gordie Sampson)
7. ’I’m Not One Of Them’ (Tony Martin/Tom Shapiro/Sarah Johns)
8. ‘The Locket’ (Mallary Hope)
9. ‘Eighteen Inches’ (Ashley Gorley/Kelley Lovelace/Carrie Underwood)
10. ‘One Of Those Boys’ (Marla Cannon/Benjamin Caver/Anthony Smith)
11. ’Funny Thing About Love’ (Lauren Alaina/Brett James/Luke Laird)
12. ‘Dirt Road Prayer’ (April Cushman/Nicolle Galyon)

[Kim]

CMT News

American Idol's Lauren Alaina Draws on Faith and Family on Debut Album - Georgia Native's Wildflower Arrives This Week


Lauren Alaina, the cheerful 16-year-old runner-up on last season's American Idol, knows she's a role model -- and she's OK with that.

"I'm in the public eye now, and I want to represent someone who is a good person to look up to," she says. "I don't want to be the young girl that people say, 'Man, that Lauren Alaina girl, she's got a lot of talent, but she's lost her mind.' I don't ever want that to be me -- ever. No matter what decision I make, I want people to know that there's a reason I made it and it's because it was something I felt like needed to happen. I don't want people to think that I've just gone crazy."

Alaina's debut album Wildflower will be released Tuesday (Oct. 11). Her first country single, "Like My Mother Does," extols the virtues of the woman who raised her. And in person, the young woman proudly credits God for keeping her going.

During a recent visit to CMT, the friendly Georgia native eagerly chatted about her musical heroes, her family's work ethic and her little house that is suddenly just the right size.

CMT: I like that growl in your voice on "Like My Mother Does." When did you discover that growl?

Alaina: People have always asked me that. I didn't really know what they were talking about until I actually recorded it and heard it back. It's just part of my personal style, I guess. I've always done that.

Are your small-town roots reflected on any songs on your new album, Wildflower?

There's a song called "Dirt Road Prayer" that is the last song on my album. It's about this girl who is going through a change in her life. And I'm going through a change in my life. You don't understand it until it gets to the chorus, but the whole song is a prayer, and basically it says that this girl is thankful that she can always go to the dirt road and pray. I guess that would reflect on a small town, knowing that no matter how far away she got from home, she could always go back there.

You've been very open about your faith. What role does that play in your day-to-day life?

The first thing I do every day when I wake up is thank God for letting me make it through the night and giving me another day of life -- just because sometimes I wake up and I cannot believe I'm doing what I'm doing. I just thank Him. I don't know how I deserve it, but it's completely because of Him. ... It plays a big role in my life.

Who are some of the artists in country music you can really identify with?

I really, really look up to Carrie Underwood a lot because she came from a small town that has the same population as mine -- 3,500 people. She was on American Idol. She is truly a good person. She's now a friend of mine. Her personality comes across when you listen to her music, and I want that when people hear me.

And, also, Miranda Lambert, who has a completely different personality. She's got more of a personality like I do. I am a spitfire! I'm a Southern girl. I was raised the way I was raised, and I can't change who I am. And I'd never want to because I became the person I am for a reason. I love that Miranda Lambert is so completely comfortable in her skin and people respect her for that. I want people to look at me like that.

Do you come from a family of hard workers?

My daddy raised me not to be a slacker! I mean, I'm not a lazy kid. My daddy calls me lazy, and compared to most teenagers, I'm really not lazy. My dad's idea of "lazy" is different than most people, and my mama's is, too. I guess that's why I have such a strong work ethic.

My daddy never had anything handed to him at all. He's worked hard his whole life, and my mama, too. My mama got married when she was 17. I'm about to be 17 ... so she was my age, pretty much, when she got married. It makes me respect her so much because my mom was starting a family. My mom was married about five months when she got pregnant with my brother. So by the time she was 18 years old, she already had a baby, and by the time she was 20, she had me, because [my brother and I] are 17 months apart.

My mom was a baby when she started having babies! ... So we grew up together, kinda, for a little bit of my life because she was still growing up when she had me. I think you're still really growing up until you're about 25, even maybe after that, depending on who you are.

I've always wanted to work hard because my mom was a mother and working, with two kids, when she was 21! She never went out and partied or got to do that kind of stuff. All she wanted was to have a family. And I really respect that in her. Most young girls wanted to go out and have fun, and my mom just wanted to have a family.

However, growing up, I always wanted a bigger house. I always complained about it. But now that I was on American Idol -- and people are giving me free shoes and stuff, it blows my mind that I get all this stuff -- I don't want any other house than the one I have because that house made me who I am, you know? It's a small, little bitty house, and I like it that way.

When I was little, I hated it. I just wanted a big house. And now I will never sell that house. I will give it to someone in my family who needs it before I sell it. That way I can go back. It's like that Miranda Lambert song, "The House That Built Me."

Looking ahead, what is your biggest dream or goal?

I'm a firm believer that God has a plan for me. I just want to fulfill that plan and share that music for the rest of my life. I can't imagine doing anything else. It's just who I am. It's in my blood, and I just want to be able to have an impact on people's lives with my music, like Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum have on me when I hear their music.


www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1672268/american-idols-lauren-alaina-draws-on-faith-and-family-on-debut-album.jhtml

[Kim]

#1 Country Album on iTunes


Lauren Alaina's debut album, 'Wildflower,' bowed online and in stores yesterday (October 12) and is already the No. 1 country album on iTunes this week!

"I'm so excited -- just to share my music with the fans is cool," Lauren gushes to The Boot. "I've been doing other people's songs for the past few months, and now it's going to be my songs, so I'm excited about that."

The 'American Idol' runner-up has had a whirlwind few months since exiting the 'Idol' stage. In addition to performing at the summer's CMA Music Fest and hitting the road on the American Idols LIVE! tour, the 17-year-old also appeared on several TV shows to promote her new album, including 'Good Morning America,' 'Live! With Regis & Kelly,' 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' and 'Entertainment Tonight.' But it was walking the red carpet at the Nashville premiere of 'Footloose' last week, along with stars including Julianne Hough, Blake Shelton and Big & Rich -- plus the film's leading man, Kenny Wormald -- that had the high-school junior most excited.

"Knowing that I'm able to do things like come to movie premieres just blows my mind," she admitted to us on the red carpet. "I cannot believe that I am able to do this and hang out with such awesome people. It's such an honor!"

The songbird's debut single, 'Like My Mother Does,' is already in the Top 40 and climbing. The tune, she explains, is a well-deserved homage to her own mother, who has been her primary source of inspiration.

Full article at:

www.theboot.com/2011/10/12/lauren-alaina-wildflower-album-release-date/

[Kim]

Lauren Alaina: ‘I Always Put God First’


In a live chat hosted by AOL’s The Boot, the lovely Lauren Alaina — whose debut album ‘Wildflower’ landed yesterday — spoke about her relationship with God, which is very much at the forefront of her life. She stated, “I always put God first.”
In addition to consulting God in each decision she makes, Alaina also revealed that she prays daily. In fact, she makes time for God multiple times throughout the day, affirming that her faith is rock solid. She never misses her bedtime prayers, either, saying, “Before I go to bed, I thank God for blessing me with all the things he blessed me with, and for my family to be safe.”

In the cutthroat entertainment business, having something like strong, unwavering faith to rely on surely keeps Alaina stay focused and happy. She did admit that fame can be tough at times, but that she surrounds herself with a good team of managers who help to filter what’s said about her in the press, so it doesn’t knock her off her game.

Other pieces of the chat: Alaina said that she would collaborate with Justin Bieber when asked, and she revealed that she likes omelets “with everything” for breakfast. However, the cutest thing our gal revealed? The last album she bought is not something embarrassing or a guilty pleasure. “That would be mine,” she said about the purchase. She made time to go to pick up ‘Wildlower’ yesterday!

If we released our first album yesterday, we’d have done the same exact thing. Be sure you make like Alaina and nab a copy of ‘Wildflower’ this week!

[Kim]

Lauren Alaina Says Making a Relationship ‘Facebook Official’ Is Embarrassing


While much of the chatter pertaining to Lauren Alaina‘s love life has centered on speculation that she and ‘American Idol’ winner Scotty McCreery have a secret relationship (which they both have denied), the singer did comment on the pressures and stresses of relationship statuses on social media platforms like Facebook. It’s 2011, and the plugged-in generation lets it all hang out in the digital space, erasing the aura of mystery and opening themselves up for some embarrassment. It’s something the ‘Georgia Peaches’ singer full well understands.

“I think it’s embarrassing to be ‘Facebook official,’ to be completely honest,” Alaina, whose debut album ‘Wildflower’ landed yesterday, told CMT Radio. “Because when you’re a teenager, you have a boyfriend and can break up the next week, and if you make it ‘Facebook official,’ you look like an idiot when you have a boyfriend one day, and the next day it’s gone.” She has a point there.

She also noted that there is something to be said for privacy. Alaina suggested, “If you’re gonna put ‘in a relationship,’ don’t tag the person on it. Just put ‘in a relationship’! That way, people know you’re in a relationship.”

That all makes sense and is some solid advice from a 16-year-old, whether you are a baby boomer toiling over creating your own Facebook page or if you are a fellow teenager trying to figure how much information is TMI!

[Kim]

2011 The Biggest Year Of Lauren Alaina's Life


Lauren Alaina is celebrating what has been the biggest year of her life – 2011. She leaps right in to 2012 with a live performance from Las Vegas on the American Country New Year’s Eve Live special airing Friday, Dec. 31 on FOX.

The Georgia native has been on a non-stop life-changing year after winning runner-up on Season 10 of American Idol in May of this year and signing her record deal when she was just 16 years old. After spending only very few days at home this entire year, Alaina is looking forward to getting back to her home in Rossville, GA, for several days to spend Christmas and enjoy some quality time with her family and friends. “Christmas for me is always about spending time with friends and family,” says Alaina. “We eat, laugh, eat and eat! Being away so much over the past year has made me even more thankful for the time I do have with them.

“That is the one thing I most want for Christmas is that time with my family and friends,” she says. “However, if Santa wants to bring me some makeup I would be extra happy!” She smiles and adds, “I am looking forward to giving good presents this year too!”

Alaina, known for her sweet dedication and gratitude to her fans, also adds, “I want my fans to enjoy the holidays season with the people that mean the most to them.”

Reflecting on the past year, the rising young star is constantly amazed at some of the wonderful life and career-changing events that have happened to her.

“I have had a lot of ‘pinch me’ moments over the past year,” says the now 17-year-old singer/songwriter. “I would have to say singing at the Grand Ole Opry is still something that I am taken aback by. I have dreamed of being on that stage for as long as I can remember.” Alaina made her Grand Ole Opry debut on June 9, shortly after American Idol.

She was recently invited to be part of her first official country tour, joining Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan for Aldean’s “My Kinda Party” Arena Tour kicking off in January 2012. “I am really looking forward to being part of this tour,” beams Alaina. “I can’t wait to perform my album in a live setting and hopefully gain some new listeners in the process.”

Another highlight of Alaina’s year, outside of releasing her debut album Wildflower, was being invited to perform at the White House for the PBS special Country Music: In Performance At the White House. “Performing for the President and First Lady at the White House was such an honor and something I will always remember. The highlight was standing on the stage with all of those country legends and seeing the President and First Lady in the front row.”

Her debut album Wildflower was released in October, landing at No. 2 on the Billboard’s Top Country Album chart and an impressive No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200. She became the youngest female artist to debut this high on the Billboard charts since LeAnn Rimes’ debut 15 years ago and is the best-selling country female debut since 1996.

[grg_straitfan]

Lauren Alaina Returns To American Idol

Lauren Alaina will return to the Fox hit show American Idol to perform her current single “Georgia Peaches” on March 8. Lauren, who began her career as a recording artist on American Idol, is delighted to return.

“I think it’s gonna be such a great feeling to go back to Idol and be on the other side. It will be great to perform without the stress of the competition on my mind! I am excited to show the Idol viewers what I have been doing since last appearing on the show. It’s going to be like a homecoming,” says Lauren.

Today Lauren was announced as one of two opening acts for select cities on the highly anticipated Sugarland “In The Hands Of The Fans” tour which kicks off in Toledo, Ohio, on April 6. Lauren, along with Luke Bryan, is currently on the Jason Aldean “My Kinda Party” Arena tour.

Lauren Alaina, a Rossville, GA native, and the American Idol Season 10 runner up, released her debut album Wildflower in the fall of 2011 and it landed at No. 2 on the Billboard’s Top Country Album chart and an impressive No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200. She became the youngest female artist to debut this high on the Billboard charts since LeAnn Rimes’ debut 15 years ago and is the best-selling country female debut since 1996.

[Kim]

Lauren Alaina Chops Her Hair Off



Facebook


Lauren Alaina is ready for the hot weather, and now she has the hairstyle to prove it! Over the weekend, Alaina had her long locks chopped off and is now sporting a short hairdo that hits her at the chin and makes her look much more mature.

“Here’s my hair cut lol,” Alaina wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday (April 14), along with the new picture seen to the left. “Hope you love it.”

The new cut is also a new, lighter shade for the singer. Between the cut and color, the 17-year-old ‘Idol’ winner definitely looks fresh-faced — although, she could pull off any style and/or color and still look like a knock-out!

The timing of Lauren Alaina’s new look coincides with her new opening act slot. The ‘Georgia Peaches’ hitmaker just wrapped up her duties on the road with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, and now she will travel coast-to-coast with Sugarland on the duo’s In Your Hands Tour. The show also features country newcomer Canaan Smith.

[Kim]

Carrie Underwood Hopes to Be Lauren Alaina’s ‘Big Sister’



Carrie Underwood is best known for her off-the-charts singing voice -have you heard her pipes in ‘Good Girl?- but sometimes country music fans forget that the award-winning songstress is an accomplished songwriter, too. Typically, Underwood is one to record her own work, but her latest tune, ‘Eighteen Inches,’ will be fellow ‘American Idol’ alum Lauren Alaina‘s next radio single. Of course Underwood is excited to have Alaina record the song, but she’s also looking forward to helping the young starlet navigate her country music fame.

Underwood, who took home the crown on ‘American Idol’ in 2005, admits that she feels a bond with 17-year-old Alaina, who finished as the runner-up to country cutie Scotty McCreery during the show’s tenth season.

“All of us ‘Idol’ people — we’re all part of this club. All the people that have come to Nashville since their days on Idol — everybody’s genuinely talented and genuinely nice, and you know, Lauren’s no exception,” Underwood explains (according to Country Music Is Love). “I hope in some ways I can maybe be like big sister, you know? It’s like, whatever she’s gonna do, I’ve been there, I’ve done that. Maybe I can be like, ‘Stay away from this, and do more of this, and you know, take more pictures!’ But it’s always fun to just be able to talk to her and see that bright-eyed…and just reminds me of myself when I was just coming off of ‘American Idol.’”

We don’t have any doubt that Alaina will be happy to accept any words of wisdom offered up by one of her favorite country stars. The young starlet has turned to Underwood for inspiration before, namely when the two blonde country singers sang ‘Before He Cheats’ together on ‘Idol’s tenth season finale.

“Carrie Underwood has been a huge influence on who I am,” Alaina told ‘The Hollywood Reporter.’ “She started out the same way I did, and she is someone that I look up to so much.”

Alaina plans to release ‘Eighteen Inches’ to the radio on July 16. Underwood is already excited to hear someone else singing one of her songs on the radio.

“I’ve had co-writes go on other people’s albums before, but this’ll be my first single. I’ve never had that before,” Underwood says. “It’s always been really cool when someone else wanted to record one of my songs that I helped write, but to actually possibly hear it on the radio at some point, that’s gonna be really cool.”

Tune in to your local country music station on July 16 to see what it sounds like when Underwood and Alaina combine their country music talents!

[Kim]

Lauren Alaina’s New Single Co-Written by Carrie Underwood


Lauren Alaina will release her new single, “Eighteen Inches” to radio July 16. Lauren isn’t the only American Idol alumni involved on this track though. Carrie Underwood, along with Kelley Lovelace and Ashley Gorley, penned the song.

“It’s amazing to have an artist like Carrie Underwood, whom I look up to so much write my single,” Lauren said. “Kelley, Ashley, and Carrie all did a wonderful job writing such an incredible song. I feel so honored to be able to bring to life the beautiful story within the song.”

Carrie is equally excited about the single’s release. “It’s so wonderful when a song you had a hand in writing finds the perfect home,” she said. “Lauren’s voice tells the story of ‘Eighteen Inches’ beautifully. What an incredible talent!”

Lauren is currently nominated for two Teen Choice Awards in the Choice Female Country Artist and Choice TV: Female Reality Star (American Idol) categories. The awards show will air live Sunday, July 22 at 8/7 p.m. Central on FOX.

[grg_straitfan]

'Idol' aside, there's no one path to stardom, says Lauren Alaina
BRUCE R. MILLER [e-mail] Apr 22, 2016 

Lauren Alaina finished second on "American Idol" to Scotty McCreery in 2011 and has been able to have a successful country music career. Now, she's touring with Alan Jackson.

The final episode of “American Idol” was like a high school reunion, according to Lauren Alaina, the Season 10 runner-up.

“All the different classes were there and it was like we were talking about the teachers and the staff. It was funny to see how all of the seasons were so similar and yet so different.”

The key takeaway: There’s no one path to stardom after “Idol.”

“Not everybody has turned into Carrie Underwood,” the 21-year-old Alaina says. “But the show does open doors for you, whatever your path may be.”

After her season ended, Alaina quickly released a CD and started touring. That first effort “didn’t showcase who I am” but it did keep her name in front of audiences. “I was a 15-year-old girl. Now I’m a 21-year-old, sort-of woman who wants to share things from her personal life.”

The second CD -- slated to appear later this year -- addresses plenty of the things that have happened since the confetti fell in 2011.

Alaina took her time crafting it because “I had a crazy couple of years. My parents went through a divorce, my dad’s an alcoholic and went to rehab and my parents are both remarried. The good news is my dad is three years sober and he’s a completely different human being. Mom is happy, dad is happy and I cannot ask for more than that.”

Writing about those turbulent times, Alaina thought she might be able to touch others going through similar situations. “You’re lonely and scared and you don’t understand how you feel. It isn’t easy.”

Dad, she says, is fine with sharing his story because he wants her to help others as well. “I can’t say that I’m glad that we went through that…he had a serious problem for 20 years ... but it may help others.”

More important, the music could get fans to see Alaina in a different light. “Too often, they have this weird view of us. I want them to think I’m their friend.”

Celebrity, the Georgia native says, is one of the hardest hurdles an artist can scale. “Nothing prepares you for being around famous people. On ‘Idol,’ I was around them all the time and I realized they’re just people. They had a dream, just like me.”


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Able to absorb what those pros had to say, Alaina realized the job requires her to miss a lot of birthdays and holidays. “You have to sacrifice for the job. But it’s the best job in the world. I learned so much from ‘Idol.’ I was like a sponge.”

Now, she says, she’s still drinking in the knowledge of others. As opener for Alan Jackson, she’s getting a good lesson in work ethic and longevity. “He doesn’t have to do this…he could be lying on the beach somewhere. Instead, he has this drive that will never go away. Every time I watch his show, my jaw is on the floor. He has hit after hit after hit.”

That’s what she’d like, too.

Ironically, the business isn’t the same one Jackson got into.

Alaina knows there’s more interest today in singles than albums. Luckily, she’s a country performer. “Country fans get more attached to the person and they tend to stick with them. It’s more about the story you’re telling than the music that makes you want to dance.

“We’re all working our booties off just to get a hit on the radio.”

“Idol,” Alaina says, was such a force in the music industry it’d be a shame if it didn’t return in some form. “There’s no way I’d be where I am today without it. It helped people get to know me. They watched me in their living rooms and, now, I’m an open book.”

Thanks to “Idol,” “I work nonstop now.”

That last show was chaotic and emotional, Alaina says. But it also was a time for network officials to realize just how iconic the series was.

Best of all, “you didn’t need to win ‘Idol’ to have a career,” Alaina says. “Jennifer Hudson didn’t win and she’s freakin’ killing it.”



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