Lauren Alaina said she began playing her guitar on stage again in honor of her late father.
Alaina, 30, announced in July 2024 that she was mourning the loss of her father, J.J. Suddeth. The Georgia-born singer-songwriter has since shared sweet nods to her father, including after she announced she’s pregnant with Baby No. 1. Alaina and her husband, Cam Arnold, will welcome a daughter later this year. Alaina announced her pregnancy in the full circle music video for her heartfelt single, “Those Kind Of Women.”
“Why I decided to play this guitar on stage again… I know Daddy is playing right along with me with the best seat in the house 🤍,” Alaina wrote in her caption as she shared a clip on Instagram on Wednesday (February 19). “I started playing guitar because my dad always wanted me to play guitar. My daddy grew up playing the banjo, and he played guitar, and he always tried to get me to sit down long enough to play with him. And I would play with him sometimes, but I never really stuck to it. And when my brother and I went to clean out his house, we each took one of his guitars, and I said I’m gonna start practicing and playing, so here I am.”
Alaina played a rendition of “Those Kind Of Women,” and shared that she received the guitar as a gift when she was on American Idol. Alaina finished runner-up on the 10th season of American Idol in 2011. Fellow country artist Scotty McCreery won that season. Alaina said the guitar “would be the perfect one to play,” in honor of the time in her life that launched her career. “It makes me nervous, but I’m doing it.”
Alaina is currently on tour with Rascal Flatts. The trio hit the road in honor of their 25th anniversary as a band. She’s since shared glimpses of the “unreal” shows, including the moment she played her guitar on stage for the first time for a crowd of 10,000 people. Alaina shared that she was “singing my new song all about strong women in front of a crowd full of strong women while my daughter is in my belly experiencing her first arena show🥹🤍”
“It has been such a hard year losing my dad in July. And we weren’t even trying to get pregnant. I truly believe my dad got up there to heaven and said ‘we gotta somehow get a baby involved,’” Alaina said in a previous video. “The baby is the light of my life, and such a light in the midst of sadness, and what felt like a lot of darkness. So, I’m very much looking forward to Baby Arnold getting here, and I can’t wait to share more.”
Alaina is one of several artists welcoming a baby into the family in 2025. Others include HARDY, Elle King, Lady A’s Hillary Scott, Toby Keith’s son Stelen Keith Covel, and more. See the list of pregnancy announcements here.