AMERICAN IDOL Winner Laine Hardy Makes Inaugural Trip Overseas To Entertain U.S. Service Members

Rising country star and ABC's American Idol winner Laine Hardy just returned from his inaugural trip overseas to entertain U.S. service members. The trip culminated in a full band performance of some of Laine's latest hits including "Ground I Grew Up On" and "Tiny Town" at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf. The grandson of an Army veteran, Laine, who also took part in the 2020 virtual NYC Veterans Day Commemoration, was deeply impacted by the trip.

"My band and I greatly appreciate the sacrifice that each of the service members make for our country," says Laine. "We are thankful for everything we were able to honorably experience while here. This will be a moment in my life I will never forget."

A native of Livingston, Louisiana (pop. 2,000) Laine Hardy was six when he picked up his first guitar and later joined his brother playing in local clubs and bars for upwards of six hours a night, inspired by artists ranging from Morgan Wallen to Luke Combs and Elvis Presley to Mark Broussard. After winning American Idol in 2019, Laine focused on songwriting and touring, headlining shows in Denver, Indianapolis, Sacramento, Minneapolis, Lexington and more. Laine's 2020 "Ground I Grew Up On" virtual tour, made over 15 online stops to date, with views at 2 Million and counting, with plans to continue into 2021.

While Louisiana is home, Nashville is where he is destined to be. There he met producer Michael Knox (Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett) and the pair went to work in the studio. 2020 new music releases included his single "Tiny Town" (Michael Tyler), and tracks "Ground I Grew Up On" (Brandon Kinney, Josh Thompson, Brett Beavers) and "Let There Be Country" (Jason Afable, Steve Moakler, Tim Nichols) on Buena Vista Records / Industrial Media's 19 Recordings, earning Laine a Taste of Country RISER designation. The new songs tell the stories of Laine's childhood on the bayou where on an average day you'll find him fishing, riding his four-wheeler, spending time with his family, dogs, and feasting on jambalaya or his Korean grandmother's homemade kimchi.

Laine released his take on the Christmas classic, "Please Come Home For Christmas" as well as brand-new track "Other LA," written by Laine with Andy Sheridan, Erik Dylan and Dan Isbell, last fall with plans for new music early this year.

For more information about Laine Hardy, visit LaineHardyMusic.com and join his journey @TheLaineHardy.

Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Miranda A. Loera