The Guitar The Helped Laine Along
Laine Hardy wouldn’t be where he is today without his guitar. That may sound dramatic, but anyone who has watched the young American Idol star’s journey from the start knows how true that statement is.
Hardy originally auditioned for the first season of the Idol reboot in 2018. He was only 17 years old at the time.
His gravelly voice impressed the judges, who offered him a golden ticket to Hollywood. But the young singer didn’t make it far before he was eliminated, since the judges felt he didn’t have enough confidence to make it on the show.
After a year of working on his voice and his confidence, Hardy was approached by his friend, Ashton Gill, who asked if he’d play guitar for her Idol audition. He agreed to do so, though never intended to audition himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSpTTqRbTDk
The judges had other plans once they saw Hardy walk into the room, and after he played guitar for Gill, they asked him to sing as well.
He did, and he found himself being offered another golden ticket. After a bit of deliberation, he decided to take a chance and accepted it.
Letting Go Of The Crutch
Over the next few months, Hardy quickly became a household name among Idol fans. Week after week, the “Bayou Boy” wowed the judges and America with his energetic performances of hit songs by artists such as Elvis, Chuck Berry, and more.
And in each performance, you could see Hardy being backed up by his trusty sidekick…his guitar.
For many artists, a guitar serves as a security blanket, as it gives them something to do with their hands and directs their focus to something during instrumental breaks when they aren’t singing. Who’s to say if Hardy feels that way about his guitar, but regardless, he’s hardly ever seen without it.
So the singer took a huge risk when he stepped on stage without his guitar to deliver Elton John‘s classic love song, “Something About the Way You Look Tonight.”
His Voice Got To Shine
With no guitar in sight, Hardy stood center stage and crooned out John’s lyrics that have made many a lady swoon over the years. By eliminating his guitar from the performance, he was able to focus entirely on his voice and connecting with the audience.
The judges noticed a huge change in Hardy in that moment, prompting Katy Perry to ask him afterward if he had been to a vocal coach that week. He said that he had, and Perry made it clear that coaching session showed in his voice.
Judge Luke Bryan agreed, saying, “We really, really heard you. I mean you’ve got this gravelly thing that’s your signature, but we heard you singing tonight, which was really amazing.”
To vote for @TheLaineHardy, vote on the American Idol App, at https://t.co/6tUFeQAu8p, or text 1 to 21523. Limit 10 votes per contestant per method. #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/Vdk5ZA2Tzd
— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) May 13, 2019
We have to agree, Hardy’s performance was definitely amazing! Be sure to tune in to it in the video below.
It seems that America was equally impressed by Hardy’s performance, because they later chose him as the winner of the season!