On This Day: Lauren Alaina Releases Her Debut Album, ‘Wildflower’

It's hard to believe we were first introduced to Lauren Alaina eleven years ago.  On October 11, 2011, at just 16 years of age, the country singer released her debut album to the world titled Wildflower.

The now 28-year-old won over the hearts of music fans nationwide while competing on the tenth season of American Idol. It's no surprise her success didn't stop there due to her big voice and positive work ethic.

In 2011, Alaina told Billboard, “It was so shocking to me how much hard work I had to put into it. I’m so glad it wasn’t as easy as I expected because it prepared me — I feel like no matter what comes at me, I’ll be able to handle it.”

Alaina's Wildflower album delivered us twelve tracks, including her three singles "Like My Mother Does," "Eighteen Inches," and the fan-favorite "Georgia Peaches."

To date, she has released three studio albums and eleven singles, including her most recent, "Thicc As Thieves." It is the first look into her upcoming album, which fans can expect soon.

Alaina has earned awards over the years, such as ACM Awards New Artist of the Year, CMT's Breakthrough Video of the Year for "Road Less Traveled," and most importantly, was inducted as a member into the Grand Ole Opry.

She was inducted by none other than Trisha Yearwood in February of 2022, someone whom she's listened to and looked up to her entire life. Aside from receiving country music's biggest honor last year, she was also recently asked another very important question.

And she clearly said "yes" to that question! Alaina and her fiance Cam Arnold walked the red carpet at the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards on September 28 as an engaged couple. She posed for the camera, showing off her new bling on her left hand.

Now, take yourself back in time to the Wildflower era and listen to "Georgia Peaches" below.

When Hollywood actors went on strike for the first time in forty years last week, production on all sets stopped.  That affected all country stars acting in TV or movies.

The strike will not affect reality shows like American Idol and The Voice, full of country music royalty helping young budding stars' dreams come true. Those shows will go on as scheduled, giving us all the chance to see Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay sitting in red chairs on The Voice as first-time coaches on the show.

According to the guidelines, SAG-AFTRA members cannot attend premieres, do interviews for completed work, go to awards shows, attend film festivals, or even promote projects on social media while the strike is in effect. They are also prohibited from attending conventions such as Comic-Con to promote any past or present work made under a SAG-AFTRA contract.

The strike will affect those country stars that have done a lot of acting in the past, including Tim McGraw, McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Randy Houser, and more.

We searched for what to watch on TV and streaming services during the strike, which could last for months. For you, we gathered some TV shows already on streaming services where you can watch your favorite country stars flexing their acting skills, talking about their career in documentaries, and more.