The May 10 episode of American Idol featured one very special guest — season 17 winner, Laine Hardy! Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Laine opened the show by performing “Life is a Highway” from his home. American Idol has aired virtual episodes since April 26, and Laine became part of the historic season with his performance. Laine played guitar while putting his own spin on the classic song, and it was the perfect way for the show’s current contestants to see what can come from winning the competition series!
Laine was voted the winner of American Idol’s 17th season in May 2019. Laine actually auditioned for season 16 in 2018, but did not make it past the top 50. When he returned to the auditions for season 17, he was simply there to play guitar for a friend, but the judges (Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan) convinced him to audition himself. They noticed his improvements, and he continued to advance in the competition week after week. By the live shows, Laine had become a fan-favorite, and received the majority of viewers’ votes in the finale.
In April, Laine released two new songs: “Ground I Grew Up On” and “Let There Be Country.” Since then, he’s been on a virtual tour, bringing music to his fans from his home. In recent EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife, he revealed that he hopes to release an album next, as well.
Meanwhile, following Laine’s performance during season 18 of American Idol, the top 7 contestants will be revealed. Those artists will then get the chance to perform twice — one Disney song, and one song dedicated to the mother figures in their lives in honor of Mother’s Day. Katy, Lionel and Luke will all be sharing their opinions of their performances from their homes.