With a summer album release and new label, hometown girl Lauren Alaina is back playing for her hometown crowd Nov. 11 at the Hamilton County Fair.
Lauren, 28, made it all the way to the finals of the 10th season of American Idol with country music artist Scotty McCreery when she was only 15 years old, placing as the runner-up to McCreery, who won the competition.
She would go on to sign a recording contract and record three albums with Universal Music Group, and record the #1 country song, ‘Road Less Traveled,’ and become a member of the Grand Ole Opry by invitation from Trisha Yearwood while she was finishing her Opry set.
Her latest album, ‘Unlocked,’ is a six-song EP recorded with her new label, Big Loud Records, and features a handful of sassy songs, including a duet with Lainey Wilson, ‘Thicc As Thieves’, with a not-so-subtle reference that girls come in all shapes and sizes.
Lauren says the most exciting part of playing back in her hometown is performing in front of her family, particularly her niece and nephew, who just know her as, ‘La-La’.
“They saw me perform in Chattanooga when they were young, and my nephew was on my brother’s shoulders watching me, and I’m not sure he even blinked once. He had this look on his face of wonder and watching him, I’m just their aunt and they love me and it’s the best,” said Lauren.
Growing up in Chattanooga, Lauren says she doesn’t ever remember a time when she discovered she could sing well. From a very early age, she says she knew she loved it, but by eight years old, she knew she had something special.
“I knew something was up, and I realized my voice was different than most people at a very young age. I would tell my mother I wanted to enter singing competitions, and I would start beating out adults.”
Lauren says that after American Idol dropped the age minimum to 15 years old, she asked her mom and dad to drive her to Nashville so she could audition.
“There I was, standing in line at Bridgestone Arena, and I can’t believe I was that bold as a teenager, but I did beg my parents to take me, and clearly that paid off quite well,” said Lauren.
Making the change to a new label was a big reset for Lauren, and spending time with family in Chattanooga during the pandemic gave her a sense of clarity that she says was the best decision for her to be fully committed to walking away from the label she had been with for 11 years.
“I knew if I was going to make a change, I wanted to be with Big Loud, and when I met with them, everything just kind of aligned and I told them I wanted to make a true country record, and off we went.”
Lauren says meeting with label head and producer Joe Moi was a game changer for what kind of songs she records and how she thinks about her voice. Joey told Lauren that it was time to make a record that truly reflects the Rossville, Georgia, girl who grew up country.
“I think we’ve nailed it with my latest release, and we’ve got more to come in the studio, and I’m just really excited to come back home and play these songs,” said Lauren.
For tickets to see Lauren Alaina Nov 11, visit www.hamiltontnfair.com