American Idol winner Laine Hardy celebrated Friendsgiving with some fellow country music making friends at the Ryman Auditorium Wednesday Night with a special performance. The concert was performed in front of a socially distanced crowd and streamed live for fans around the world to see.

This was a big night for Laine. Not only was it the first show he’s had with his band since the early spring, but it was also the first time he’s ever played at the Mother Church of country music. Laine’s road to the Ryman stage began when he heard Elvis Presley on the radio in the car with his mom “At 6, that’s when I got my first guitar, the reason I got it was because me and my mom were going down the road in the car, and he came on the radio, and I asked her ‘Who is that?’ She said ‘It’s Elvis’ and then I started watching videos and stuff…at 6 years old I was doing this.” Laine’s love of Elvis was even captured in a childhood photo session where he dressed as The King.

Laine’s mom was there when he discovered Elvis, and she was also the one who saw the musical potential in her son several years later, and asked if he’d like to try out for American Idol. After passing the audition phase in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, Laine’s first trip to Hollywood didn’t end up like he hoped. The following year he showed up to support his friend Ashton Gill as she tried up for Season 17 of Idol. The judges recognized him, and after giving him a warm welcome back, they coaxed Laine into an impromptu audition that once again saw him heading to Hollywood, but this time it had the dream ending as Laine was crowned the winner.

But even during those successful days on the west coast, while he was in the L.A. of California, Laine knew his heart would always be in the LA of his home state of Louisiana.

Now the pride of Livingston, Louisiana is taking on Music City with his current single, “Tiny Town.” Laine knew the song was meant for him the very first time he heard it “I was listening to it, and was like ‘wow, it really sounds relatable to me’.” That might be because his home town of Livingston is a “tiny town” with a population of about two thousand people. Laine would have needed about 35 of his towns to fill the Super Down in New Orleans the first time his sang the National Anthem there.

From Friendsgiving this week to Thanksgiving next week, Laine Hardy is very thankful for the experiences he’s had along the way over the last couple of years “It means a lot to me, I never would have thought a few years back that I’d be doing this right now. It’s unreal, it feels unreal.”

As Laine Hardy closes out 2020…the boy who would be the king, and was crowned an Idol, is set to take on the country music world with the help of his “Tiny Town.”

Laine Hardy Key Art Credit Robby Klein HR