Lauren Alaina shocked country music fans and industry watchers on Monday when she revealed in a social media post that she had parted ways with her longtime record label Mercury Records, where she’s been signed since she was 16 years old. She’s now 27.
“I want to thank the staff at Mercury Records and UMG Nashville for everything they have done for me over the last 11 years,” Alaina wrote. “They have been my label home since the day I walked off the American Idol stage as a really young, wide-eyed, eager 16 year old kid. Now, at 27 years old, I look back and see just how much I have changed and grown into the woman I am now.”
She continued: “I have made the tough decision to spread my wings and close a very important chapter of my life. There are more exciting things happening in my career right now than ever before, and I just can’t wait to see where it all leads. Much more to share soon.”
Alaina has already had a jam-packed 12 months. Last summer, she released her critically acclaimed new album “Sitting Pretty On Top of the World,” her Hallmark movie “Roadhouse Romance” debuted in the fall of 2021, her inspirational book “Getting Good at Being You: Learning to Love Who God Made You to Be” came out in December, she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry earlier this year, she’s currently on tour and featured in the new celebrity extreme reality series “Beyond The Edge” that airs 9 p.m. (ET) Wednesdays on CBS.
The singer has also talked a lot about embracing the woman she’s grown into.
Alaina shared with People a therapist told her: “You’re the only you you’ll ever have. Be nice to yourself.”
The statement resonated at such a level that it triggered the singer’s odyssey to self-love. Before launching her new tour, she said, “It’s been a really hard journey for me to find self-acceptance and find self-worth. This tour really feels like a celebration of all of the growth I’ve had over the last 10 years in my career and in my personal life.”