Lauren Alaina Opens Up About Recording “Babies Raising Babies” With Her Older Brother Tyler Suddeth
The singer-songwriter said she is “so proud” of the way the collaboration turned out.
Lauren Alaina – Babies Raising Babies
Lauren Alaina returns with her new album, STAGES, a deeply personal 17-song collection divided into three defining chapters of her life. The project chronicles the moments that helped shape the woman, wife and mother she is today, beginning with Stage One: The Dreaming, followed by Stage Two: The Breaking and Stage Three: The Becoming.
The first stage takes listeners back to Alaina’s childhood growing up in Rossville, Georgia, surrounded by family and friends. From attending church to eventually making the life-changing decision to audition for American Idol, these early experiences helped shape the person she would become and set her on a path toward pursuing music in Nashville.
One of the songs featured in the first stage of the album is “Babies Raising Babies,” which Alaina co-wrote with Ben Hayslip and Matt Jenkins. A quick glance at the track list reveals a duet partner alongside Alaina’s name: Tyler Suddeth.
While the album also features recognizable names like Kane Brown on “Never Been In Love” and Chase Matthew on “All My Exes,” Suddeth may not be a name immediately familiar to fans. However, he holds a very special place in Alaina’s life: he’s her older brother.
During a recent appearance on The Bobby Bones Show, Alaina opened up about why she wanted to begin the album with a song featuring her brother and shared the sweet story behind how their collaboration came to life.
“I start the record with a song that I sing with my brother,” she explained. “He sings in his church choir. He sings in church every Sunday. He sang at the Opry with me a couple of times, but he loves to sing. He’s just very shy. I soaked up every bit of the outgoing personality in the house, so he was the quiet one.”
Alaina said her brother had actually approached her a few years ago with the idea of recording together, even if the song never saw the light of day.
“But he came to me a couple of years ago and said, ‘I know I work at Costco and you have a label and all of these things, but I would really love to record a song with you one day, even if we never released it,’” she recalled.
That conversation ultimately inspired Alaina to write “Babies Raising Babies,” a song she originally wrote about her brother and his wife. The timing of the song’s release ended up becoming even more meaningful as Alaina’s own life began to mirror the story she had written about.
“And so I actually wrote, it’s called ‘Babies Raising Babies,’ and I wrote it about him and his wife and we recorded it together,” she said. “And the timing’s kind of crazy because I wrote it four years ago and then I got married and I had Beni and the album release moved significantly. And now that we have this song out and I’m also raising a baby, it’s kind of crazy the way the timing worked out.”
The singer-songwriter said she is “so proud” of the way the collaboration turned out.
“I say, ‘Sing it, Bubba,’ before the second verse. And that’s my favorite part because then he sings and he’s so good. He’s actually so good. He’s just really shy,” she shared. “So we’re working on that. But he’s been singing in church every Sunday for a couple of years now and it’s really helped him with his stage fright and stuff.”
STAGES closes with another deeply personal moment, the previously released “Heaven Sent,” a heartfelt tribute to her late father that makes the album’s final chapter even more meaningful.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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