American Idol season 17 winner Laine Hardy has now released his debut album, Here's To Anyone. This comes a month after Laine made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, joined onstage by American Idol season 10 runner-up Lauren Alaina and in-house mentor Bobby Bones. Two years after his win in 2019, Laine's career is still country strong.
Laine first auditioned for American Idol season 16, making it into the Top 50. He did not end up progressing to the next round, with Maddie Poppe taking home the title that year. However, he returned for American Idol season 17 to accompany his friend Ashton Gill on guitar during her audition. Although he had no intention of auditioning, judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan encouraged him to do so. He sang "The Weight" by The Band and made it through to Hollywood once again. Laine's performances throughout the season included everything from "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry to "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John. His final song of the season was "Bring It On Home to Me," by Sam Cooke. Laine's coronation song, "Flame," was released on May 19, 2019. Most recently, he performed his song "Memorize You," from his new album, on the July 5 episode of The Bachelorette.
Laine's new album, Here's To Anyone, has now been released. It is an 11-song collection produced by Michael Knox, with classic rock and traditional country influences. In an interview with People, Laine discussed the album, including his hesitancy to release his original music. He said, "I ain't too comfortable yet with releasing any original stuff I've written because I want it to be okay. There are a lot of songwriters out of Nashville that are just so great, and they write these songs that tell these stories that really talk to me. And to be able to tell these stories out on the road and out on the streaming services and everything…I just feel grateful to be able to do that with these people's songs because it's their story too." Laine did, however, co-write the songs "One of Those" and "Other LA" on the album.
Laine has always been known as a country boy with Southern charm. As his career takes off and he gains more opportunities like his Grand Ole Opry debut, he stays humble. He said, "It just feels like a dream to have been given that opportunity. I know a lot of my influences growing up have stood on that wooden circle at the Opry, and to be able to stand in the same place, that's pretty cool. It was a dream of mine that I got to make true." The Louisiana native has moved from the American Idol stage to the Grand Ole Opry seamlessly.
Laine has evolved from a teen idol on American Idol to a budding country superstar. He is currently performing live on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour. Here's To Anyone is sure to propel him to the forefront of the country music scene. As for American Idol, the singing competition series is returning for its 20th season in 2022, with judges Lionel, Katie and Luke and host Ryan Seacrest all returning to celebrate the milestone season.
Source: People