Lauren Alaina Opens Up About Grief And Growth After Losing Her Father In New Song, ‘Little Things’

Lauren Alaina continues her reign of personal and straight-from-the-heart tunes with her latest release, “Little Things.”

On the one-year anniversary of her father, J.J. Suddeth’s sudden passing, the songstress announced that she had penned a piece of work that served as a letter to her loved one and also shined a light on the new perspective she gained on life following his death. Today, the world finally gets to her the full version of the song that finds Alaina putting her most vulnerable self on display.

Her heavenly vocals reflect on how grief can show up in the most mundane moments of life. At the same time, we hear about the different ways this incredible loss impacted Alaina. While the sadness surely comes in waves, it’s the way her outlook on life has changed in his absence that she chose to highlight in this delicate track.

Instead of sweating the small stuff, Lauren Alaina reveals she had a “come to Jesus” moment that reminded her just how valuable each day truly is.

“Bet you’re in Heaven swearing Hell froze over/ Sitting on a cloud, looking down just watching me/ Brush a little more off my shoulder/ Smiling through tears sitting here with a song to sing/ When your whole world stops/ It makes you stop to think/ Since you went and got your big ole angel wings/ I give a little less damn ‘bout the little things,” the Georgia native sings while depicting the lessons she’s learned in the past year.

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The Moment That Changed Her Perspective

Lauren Alaina penned “Little Things” with Ross Copperman, Seth Ennis and Emily Falvey, while Joey Moi served as producer. Looking back on the writing session of this song, the country star recalled a moment with her brother that ended up inspired the story behind this song.

“The loss of my father was unexpected and life shattering. When you have a loss of this magnitude, the little things in life start to matter a lot less,” she shared. “I will never forget the conversation I had with my brother on the way to the session I wrote this song. He said someone had complained to him about the cost of eggs. He said he just kept thinking to himself, ‘My dad just died. I don’t really care about the cost of eggs anymore.’ It really struck me.”

“I told him when something that really matters happens, your eyes are opened to what doesn’t. I told him I was going to write that song for us that day. I know our dad would be proud of us both,” continues Alaina.

J.J. Suddeth Passed Away July 2024

The Grand Ole Opry member revealed the heartbreaking news of her father’s passing on July 24, 2024. While the cause hasn’t been revealed, it appeared to have come as a shock to the family. Over the years, her dad, a U.S. Army veteran, played a powerful role in her music. From “Doin’ Fine,” which reflected on her parents’ divorce and his sobriety journey, to their touching Opry performance of Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All,” their bond was undeniable. She also honored that connection during their father-daughter dance at her wedding using an unreleased song called “My Old Man.”

“Little Things” builds on Alaina’s recent run of emotionally charged songs including “All My Exes (feat. Chase Matthew),” which gave Alaina the biggest first-week streaming numbers of her career. Earlier this year, she also dropped “Household,” “Those Kind of Women” and “Heaven Sent,” which honors the birth of her baby girl, Beni Doll.

Lauren Alaina currently has a stacked lineup of tour dates scheduled through October. The full list of shows can be found on her official website.