Lauren Alaina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lauren Alaina
Alaina in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth
Born	(1994-11-08) November 8, 1994 (age 30) Rossville, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Country country pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2011–present
Labels	19 Interscope Mercury Nashville Big Loud

Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth, born on November 8, 1994, is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She became well-known after being the runner-up on the tenth season of the TV show American Idol.

Her first studio album, Wildflower, was released in 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, came out in 2017. The song "Road Less Traveled" became her first number one hit on the Country Airplay chart. Later that year, she had another number one hit with her friend Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". Lauren Alaina has also sung with other artists like Hardy, Devin Dawson, and Dustin Lynch. Her third album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was released in 2021.

Lauren Alaina competed on the twenty-eighth season of Dancing with the Stars and finished in fourth place. She has won two CMT Music Awards and one Academy of Country Music Award. A big moment in her career was becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 12, 2022. Her childhood hero, Trisha Yearwood, welcomed her into the Opry. Lauren Alaina is currently the youngest member of the Opry. She married Cam Arnold on February 4, 2024, and they welcomed their daughter on June 11, 2025.

Early Life and Talent

Lauren Alaina was born on November 8, 1994, in Rossville, Georgia. Her parents are Kristy and Jerry Eugene "J.J." Suddeth. Her father worked as a technician in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

When she was eight, Lauren won a talent competition at the Southern Stars Pageant. The next year, she performed on the Kids talent stage at Chattanooga's Riverbend Festival. She continued to perform there every year until she was 12. At that age, she won a competition that allowed her to sing on the festival's main stage.

At 10, she traveled to Orlando, Florida, for the American Model and Talent Competition. She won the event, beating 1,500 other kids. Lauren also sang with the Georgia Country Gospel Music Association's children's group. At 12, she started making trips to Nashville, a big music city. In 2009, Lauren won the WinniSTAR youth talent contest at Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park. Besides singing, she also wrote songs like "Leaving" and "Set Me Free."

Lauren Alaina was inspired to sing by her cousin, Holly Witherow. Before Idol, Lauren worked at CiCi's Pizza. She went to Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where she was a cheerleader. She tried out for America's Got Talent twice but was not chosen before her Idol audition.

Becoming an American Idol Star

Lauren Alaina auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in Nashville, Tennessee. From the start, the judges really liked her. After her audition, judge Steven Tyler said, "We found the one." On May 14, 2011, her hometown of Rossville, Georgia, even declared it "Lauren Alaina Day."

During the show's finale, Lauren sang "Before He Cheats" with her idol, Carrie Underwood. On May 25, 2011, Lauren Alaina was announced as the runner-up. Scotty McCreery won that season.

Her Journey on Idol

Here is a look at Lauren Alaina's performances and results on American Idol:

• The Top 11 stayed the same for another week because the judges used their one save on Casey Abrams. Two contestants were then eliminated the next week.
• When the results were announced, Lauren was in the bottom two. However, she was safe because Jacob Lusk was eliminated.

Music Career Highlights

After Idol, Lauren Alaina signed with Interscope Records, Mercury Nashville, and 19 Recordings. She released her first single, "Like My Mother Does." This song quickly appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and the Hot 100 chart.

After American Idol Season 10, Lauren appeared on many TV shows. She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Today Show. On June 8, 2011, Lauren and Scotty McCreery presented at the CMT Music Awards. Lauren also made her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on June 10. She performed with Martina McBride at the CMA Music Festival. The next summer, Lauren toured with the American Idols Live! Tour 2011. This tour started in West Valley City, Utah, and ended in Manila, Philippines.

Wildflower Album (2011-2012)

Alaina in 2011

On October 11, 2011, Lauren Alaina released her first album, Wildflower. It reached number five on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was also number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album sold 69,000 copies in its first week. It became the best-selling digital album by a new female country artist. The main song from the album, "Georgia Peaches," reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

To promote her album, Lauren appeared on many TV and radio shows. She performed "Georgia Peaches" on Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In October 2011, Lauren performed at Opry Goes Pink. This was a concert at the Grand Ole Opry to support Women for the Cure. In November 2011, she sang "My Grown Up Christmas List" on CMA Country Christmas. Lauren also performed for Barack Obama and Michelle Obama in a PBS special. She sang the National Anthem at the Thanksgiving Day football game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. On New Year's Eve, Lauren performed "Georgia Peaches" on American Country New Year's Eve Live.

Lauren Alaina was an opening act for Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party Tour from January to May 2012. She also opened for Sugarland's In the Hands of the Fans Tour on some dates. In March 2012, Lauren performed "Georgia Peaches" on the eleventh season of American Idol. She also sang it on The Today Show. In June 2012, Lauren was the main performer at the Riverbend music festival in her hometown.

In July 2012, "Eighteen Inches" became Lauren's third single from Wildflower. The song reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs list. To support the song, Lauren went on an 18-city tour. Money from each show helped local charities, including the Special Olympics. The Inch-By-Inch tour started in September and ended in November 2012.

At the 2012 American Country Awards, Lauren Alaina was named the New Artist of the Year.

New Music and Road Less Traveled (2013-2017)

In January 2013, Lauren Alaina started working on her second album. On May 7, 2013, she released the single "Barefoot and Buckwild." This song reached number thirty-four on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. She performed the song on the twelfth season of American Idol. In May 2013, Lauren also released "Antarctica: One World, One Family." This song is the theme for the SeaWorld attraction Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. In December 2013, Lauren released her version of "My Grown Up Christmas List."

On September 18, 2015, Lauren released the single "Next Boyfriend." It reached number 39 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. An EP (a shorter album) followed on October 2, 2015. A song from the EP, "History," was used for ESPN College Football coverage.

Throughout 2016, Lauren Alaina opened for several shows on Alan Jackson's Still Keepin' It Country Tour. In November 2016, she released her cover of "O Holy Night."

Lauren released the single "Road Less Traveled" on July 11, 2016. She wrote this song with Meghan Trainor and Jesse Frasure. Lauren performed the song on The Today Show and Harry. In April 2017, "Road Less Traveled" became number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

On January 27, 2017, Lauren Alaina released her second album, Road Less Traveled. The album included songs like "Same Day Different Bottle" and "Doin' Fine." Lauren described Road Less Traveled as "very different" from her first album. The album's main message is about self-acceptance and love. Lauren said, "We are all different and that's what makes us all beautiful." She performed "Doin' Fine" on Good Morning America in January 2017.

In February and March 2017, Lauren toured with Martina McBride on her Love Unleashed Tour. In June and July 2017, Lauren appeared on Luke Bryan's Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day Tour for some dates. In May 2017, Lauren sang on the song "Are You Happy Now" from Rascal Flatts' album, Back to Us.

Lauren's third single from Road Less Traveled, "Doin' Fine," was released in May 2017. The song reached number 27 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Lauren became the only female artist to top both country charts in 2017. This happened after "Road Less Traveled" topped the Country Airplay chart and "What Ifs" topped the Hot Country chart.

Lauren Alaina performed "Doin' Fine" and "What Ifs" at the 2018 ACM Awards. There, she won the award for New Female Vocalist of the Year. At the 2018 CMT Music Awards, Lauren and Kane Brown won "Best Collaborative Video" for "What Ifs."

Recent Music and Albums (2018-Present)

Alaina performing in 2024

Lauren Alaina released the single "Ladies in the '90s" on October 5, 2018. The song reached number 40 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

Lauren was nominated for New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards in 2017 and 2018.

Throughout 2018 and 2019, Lauren toured with artists like Alan Jackson, Cole Swindell, Jason Aldean, and Blake Shelton. She also performed at major music festivals like Stagecoach Festival.

Lauren released the single "Getting Good" on September 27, 2019. "The Other Side" was released as a special song on October 22. It was danced to on Dancing with the Stars in memory of her stepfather. On March 6, 2020, she released the Getting Good EP. On September 4, 2020, she released the EP Getting Over Him. Lauren's first single from this EP, "Getting Over Him", featured Jon Pardi. It was released in February 2021. Lauren released her third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, on September 3, 2021.

In March 2021, Lauren shared that she had tested positive for COVID-19. On December 18, 2021, Lauren was invited to become an official member of The Grand Ole Opry.

On July 25, 2022, Lauren Alaina signed with Big Loud Records.

Other Projects and TV Shows

In September and October 2016, Lauren Alaina filmed her first movie, The Road Less Traveled, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The movie was released on June 6, 2017. It later premiered on CMT in November 2017.

In August 2019, Lauren was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on season 28 of Dancing with the Stars. She made it to the finals and finished in fourth place.

In 2021, Lauren Alaina starred in the film Roadhouse Romance. It premiered on September 11, 2021.

She was also a contestant on Beyond the Edge, a survival competition series that started in March 2022. She had a ligament injury, which ended her time on the show. She later said leaving was the right decision.

Personal Life

Lauren Alaina's parents divorced in 2013. Both her parents remarried. Her stepfather passed away from cancer in 2018. Her father passed away in 2024.

Lauren is a Christian and often says that her faith is important to her.

In 2012, Lauren started dating Alexander Hopkins. They got engaged in July 2018 but announced their split in January 2019 after six years. She was in a relationship with comedian John Crist for several months in 2019. In November 2022, she announced her engagement to Cam Arnold. The couple married on February 4, 2024. They welcomed their daughter on June 11, 2025.

Discography

Studio albums

• Wildflower (2011)
• Road Less Traveled (2017)
• Sitting Pretty on Top of the World (2021)

Awards and Nominations

Tours

Headlining Tours

• 18-City Inch-by-Inch Tour (2012)
• That Girl Was Me Tour (2020)
• Sitting Pretty On Top of the World Tour (2022)

Co-Headlining Tours

• American Idols LIVE! Tour (2011)

Supporting Tours

• My Kinda Party Tour (2012) with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan
• In The Hands Of Fans Tour (2012) with Sugarland
• C2C: Country to Country (2016) with Carrie Underwood
• Keepin' It Country Tour (2016) with Alan Jackson
• Love Unleashed Tour (2017) with Martina McBride
• Huntin', Fishin', and Lovin' Everyday Tour (2017) with Luke Bryan
• Side Effects Tour (2017) with Dallas Smith
• Reason to Drink Tour (2018) with Cole Swindell
• High Noon Neon Tour (2018) with Jason Aldean and Luke Combs
• Reason to Drink...Another Tour (2018) with Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch
• Crash My Playa (2019) with Luke Bryan
• Friends and Heroes Tour (2019-2020) with Blake Shelton
• Songs About You Tour (2022) with Brett Eldredge
• Pentatonix (The World Tour) (2023) with Pentatonix
• Life is a Highway Tour (2025) with Rascal Flatts

Images for kids

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  Alaina in 2023

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  Alaina in 2011

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  Alaina performing in 2024

See also

In Spanish: Lauren Alaina para niños