Lauren Alaina said she was in shock for weeks after Trisha Yearwood surprised her with an invitation to join The Grand Ole Opry in December. Yearwood will help make Alaina’s membership official during her induction ceremony on Feb. 12.
“I wish I could tell this sweet, young girl that stepped in that circle for the first time on June 10, 2011, one DEBUT will become an official member of the Grand Ole Opry, and that day is February 12, 2022. I’m. Not. Well. See you there 💝” Alaina wrote on Instagram alongside a picture from her Grand Ole Opry debut.
The Grand Ole Opry was the first major stage on which Alaina played following her run on “American Idol.” She made her 50th appearance in the Opry’s circle in the fall.
“I remember being a little girl and listening to country music and feeling like, ’This is my destiny,’” Alaina told PEOPLE the night she was invited to join. “Not just country music, we listened to the Opry. The Opry is the core of country music. Everyone that’s ever been anyone I could look up to played the Opry. To be in that family, I can’t believe it. This is the best day of my life other than when my nieces and nephews were born.”
Fans can watch Alaina’s Opry induction on Circle Network, on its Saturday night Opry Live livestream on Circle All Access Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They can listen at onopry.com and wsmonline.com, SiriusXM: Willie’s Roadhouse and its radio home 650 AM-WSM.