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Laine Hardy Talks About His Return To ‘American Idol’

Reigning American Idol champ Laine Hardy will return to the hit show on Sunday (May 10) to perform “Life Is…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

May 7, 2020

2:35 pm

Laine Hardy; Photo by Robby Klein

Reigning American Idol champ Laine Hardy will return to the hit show on Sunday (May 10) to perform “Life Is A Highway” during the show’s Disney-themed night.

Prior to his return to American Idol, the rising star joined AI‘s in-house mentor Bobby Bones on The Bobby Bones Show to chat about his upcoming performance and share the story behind his run-in with actor John Stamos.

After recalling the whirlwind he experienced after winning American Idol in 2019, Hardy shared his thoughts on performing “Life Is A Highway.”

“I heard it growing up on the radio and stuff, but I’ve had to refresh my memory the last couple days and re-learn it, ya know,” he explained of the song originally recorded by Tom Cochrane, and later released by Rascal Flatts for the Cars movie soundtrack.

“This song, the timing of it, it throws me off,” he admitted. “It’s a little different than what I’m normally singing so it’s gonna take a little practice, but it’s a really good song.”

Hardy went on to recall his run-in with Stamos, revealing that he once offered him a sandwich when they both appeared on the PBS special, A Capitol Fourth.

Click below to listen to his full interview with Bobby Bones.

Fans can catch Bones and Hardy on American Idol this Sunday at 8/7 c.

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Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.