Laine’s Long Idol Journey
Laine Hardy‘s journey to the American Idol finale was longer than either of the other finalists. He first auditioned for the show well over a year ago, when he was only 17 years old.
The Louisiana native impressed the judges and won a golden ticket to Hollywood with his performance of The Band of Heathens’ “Hurricane.”
But it soon became clear to the judges that Hardy was nervous on stage, and lacked the confidence that other performers clearly had. So he was sent home, long before America ever got the chance to vote on his fate.
In the time between that season and the next, Hardy worked on becoming more confident as a performer. While he made obvious improvements, auditioning for Idol for a second time was the last thing on his mind.
However, when his friend Ashton Gill asked if he’d play guitar for her audition, he agreed. One thing led to another, and soon enough the judges had Hardy singing and were handing him another golden ticket.
Realizing he couldn’t pass up his second chance at Idol success, Hardy accepted.
How He Made It To Finals
From that point forward he established himself as a frontrunner in the competition. His charming and energetic performances of classic songs by the likes of Elvis, Sam Cooke, and Chuck Berry made him the season’s heartthrob and a favorite of judge Katy Perry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ykfhETITg
So it came as no surprise when it was revealed that Hardy was one of the three artists fans voted through into the Idol finale.
In celebration of all of its finalists’ journeys, Idol shared some never-before-seen footage from the first time they interacted with them. In the case of Alejandro Aranda and Madison VanDenburg, their clips came from just a few months prior.
A Blast From Laine’s Past
But in Hardy’s case, the show shared footage from his first season on the show, so his clip dates back to September 2017…nearly two years prior to the Season 17 finale!
The simple clip shows Hardy delivering an unplugged performance of “Hurricane,” the same song he’d later sing for his televised audition. Watching it now, you realize just how hard Hardy must have worked between Idol seasons in order to develop his voice and sense of confidence.
It’s amazing to see how much Hardy has changed in such a short amount of time.
Watch the never-before-seen Idol footage of him singing by clicking here. Then compare it to his more recent performance of “Hurricane” in the video below.
He’s living proof that practice makes perfect!