Even though Lauren Alaina is just 16-years-old, she’s put together an album of songs that promises a range of emotions. ‘Wildflower’ — in stores on October 11 — is described as sweet, but a little bit sassy, just like Alaina. She recently told Taste of Country that whether or not she’s ever been in love, she’s still able to sing about what it’s like.
“Well, I’ve had crushes and stuff, so I don’t really mind singing about it,” she explained when asked about performing love songs. “I like any song that can tell a story that people can relate to.”
Carrie Underwood helped Alaina by writing a song for the ‘American Idol’ runner-up’s debut album. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban are also pulling for her, as is her ‘Idol’ pal Scotty McCreery.
Until recently, none of those artists got to hear the finished product, however. Below, Alaina dishes on each of the 12 songs from her debut album.
1. ‘Georgia Peaches’ (Mallary Hope, Blair Daly and Rachel Proctor)
“First of all, I am a Georgia peach! When I heard the title of the song, I liked it. After I heard the full song, I fell in love with it. It’s one of my favorites on the album. It is uptempo and a song that everyone can dance to. It’s great because it says there is nothing sweeter than Georgia peaches, and in the bridge it welcomes people in who aren’t from Georgia: ‘It don’t matter where you’re from/ Come on in and have some fun.’ It’s a really cool song that I think people will enjoy.”
2. ‘Growing Her Wings’ (Nicolle Gaylon and Nicole Witt)
“I love this song because it’s playful and young girls are going to love it. It talks about how a girl kisses a neighbor and her dad grounds her. The girl is reading Cosmo magazine that her mother doesn’t want her to read. She is in her room growing her wings, becoming who she is behind closed doors and she’s just about ready to fly away. I feel like that is who I was six months ago. I feel like I’ve formed my wings and now I’m flying. This song is really playful and fun. I just love it.”
3. ‘Tupelo’ (Hillary Lindsey, Steven McEwan and Gordie Sampson)
“’Tupelo’ has been one of my favorites since the very beginning. It has one of the coolest vibes to it. It’s not like any other country song out there. It has a summertime feel to it — like the wind is blowing or you’re lying in a hammock. It’s about taking a trip with this boy that you are in love with, and having fun with him as he does things like picking a wildflower and putting it in your hair. It’s a cute story about a boy and a girl taking a trip just to spend time together, driving around and doing nothing.”
4. ‘The Middle’ (Zac Maloy, Rachel Proctor and David Hodges)
‘’’The Middle’ is cool because it has a completely different vibe than all of the other songs. It’s almost like it’s a sad song, but it’s also happy at the same time. It has a great message. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to cry. It says don’t worry about the small things, things that have happened in the past or what you think might happen tomorrow. All that matters is what happens right now. That message really appealed to me because crazy things have happened to me in the last year. I think it’s a song that people can relate to no matter what point you are at in your life. It tells you to take each day and make it last. You have to live day by day and you can’t worry about tomorrow. I forget that a lot and I feel like other people do too. It’s a good reminder.”
5. ‘Like My Mother Does’ (Nathan Chapman, Liz Rose and Nikki Williams)
“’Like My Mother Does’ is my first single, and it means a lot to me because my mama puts up with my stuff when nobody else will. My mama can handle me when no one else can and she knows how to make me feel better and lift me up. I’m lucky to have her, and to have a song about her makes me feel happy to be able to do that for her. When we argue now, I’ll sing ‘Like My Mother Does,’ and she laughs. She doesn’t want to laugh, but she does. So this song is my way of getting out of trouble now!”
6. ‘She’s a Wildflower’ (Hillary Lindsey, Steven McEwan and Gordie Sampson)
“I think the title itself explains why I enjoy this song. I’m definitely a wildflower and I feel that there are tons of girls out there that are wildflowers. It talks about this girl who views herself as not all that. She thinks that she is not good enough. She has a crush on this boy, but she thinks she is invisible to him, so she never says anything. As a teenage girl, you are your own worst critic. You think other people are putting you down, but really it’s you putting yourself down. You are the one who thinks you don’t look good in a certain outfit or that your hair isn’t fixed perfectly. You might think a guy doesn’t like you because of this or that. But, really deep down we are too shy to approach the people and ask them. That is how we are built. I am one of the most open people in the world, but I wasn’t like that until a few years ago. I know how it feels to feel like you aren’t good enough. In elementary school, I was a lot different. When I first heard the song, it made me want to cry because I remember being the freckled-face little girl with a big gap in her teeth. The boys all liked this other girl in elementary school, and no one liked me. I was the one who wanted to throw the football with them and play outside. The older I got, I realized that guys like that, but they just don’t want to admit it. The song represents how girls always put themselves down when they are really wildflowers and they need to bloom.”
7. ‘I’m Not One of Them’ (Sarah Johns, Tom Shapiro and Tony Martin)
“This song takes the boy who thinks he is ‘the stuff’ and throws him under the bus. It tells him he’s not that great. There are lots of guys out there who think they are just awesome and they hurt girls’ feelings and make them feel like they’re not good enough for them. This song is a good representation of that girl finally saying, ‘Listen pal, you aren’t good enough for me.’ It’s a mid-tempo that has really awesome instrumentation on it. It’s a really fun song.”
8. ‘The Locket’ (Mallary Hope)
“’The Locket’ will make you cry every time you hear it. The storyline reminds me of ‘The Notebook.’ It has this beautiful story. You don’t know until the end of the song who is telling the story, but it’s a granddaughter talking to her grandmother. She is talking about all of these memories her grandmother told her throughout her life. The grandmother has Alzheimer’s and she is starting to forget things. The granddaughter is reading out of her diary to her the things that have happened to her throughout her life. It’s a beautiful story. I cried like a baby the first time I heard it; I still cry every time I hear it. It’s got one of the most beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard, just the arrangement of the song. The words are so powerful. It’s the type of song that is super simple but it really touches your heart. You feel like you are part of the story, even though you are not.”
9. ‘Eighteen Inches’ (Kelley Lovelace, Ashley Gorley and Carrie Underwood)
“‘Eighteen Inches’ was co-written by Carrie Underwood, and that really stood out to me because I look up to her so much. It’s cool to have the opportunity to record a song she wrote. When I listened to it, I thought it had one of the most incredible stories I’ve ever heard in a song. I feel like there are a lot of people out there who will be able to relate to the words of this song, even if what happens in the song didn’t exactly happen to them. I really, really love the song. It’s well written and has beautiful melodies. This young girl decides she’s going to run away with her boyfriend. The chorus talks about how when you are young and in love, you do things that aren’t always seen to be the smartest move. I think that is so true! The 18 inches represents the distance it is from your head to your heart. They end up scraping by and get married. The song talks about them wanting a child but yet they are just kids themselves. They do have a baby, and it makes them grow up and they thank God for the 18 inches, which is also how long their baby was. It is just an incredible song.”
10. ‘One Of Those Boys’ (Anthony Smith, Marla Cannon and Ben Carver)
“I really like this one because it describes this great guy. I am singing about a boy that in my eyes would be perfect. He has all of these flaws that make me love him. It says he’s gotta love his mama, shake my daddy’s hand and like going to church on Sunday morning. I can relate. I would say that’s some pretty crucial stuff in a guy. It was the last song that I got for the whole album and I fell in love with it. I said, ‘We have to do this one.’”
11. “Funny Thing About Love” (Lauren Alaina, Luke Laird and Brett James)
“I wrote this song with Brett James and Luke Laird. We had a great connection and I’m really fortunate that I got to write with them. We sat down and I talked about how every time I like a boy, he doesn’t like me. Then when I don’t like him anymore, all he is doing is blowing up my cell phone and calling me all the time and driving me nuts. I’m thinking, ‘You didn’t like me when I liked you.’ In love, sometimes the timing is never right, and that is basically what the songs says. It talks about how love confuses you and makes you all crazy inside. I love it.”
12. “Dirt Road Prayer” (Nicolle Galyon and April Geesbreght)
“This song is basically a young girl’s prayer to God, and I think it has a great message. She’s praying for her family members and for God to tell her where to take her life. The chorus talks about how she has a place where she always goes to pray when she is in trouble or is confused. It talks about how much of her life has changed, but that it’s good to know her place will always be there, and that is always something that she will have. I really relate to this song a lot because my own life has completely changed and sometimes I just need to pray; praying makes me feel better.”
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