Laine Hardy has officially made his Opry debut!
The rising star and Livingston, Louisiana native made his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday (Aug. 28), sharing the iconic Nashville stage with fellow American Idol alums Lauren Alaina and Idol mentor Bobby Bones. In addition to Alaina and Bones, Michael Ray, Rodney Crowell, and more also appeared during the show.
Hardy stepped into the circle wearing a suit that paid homage to his heritage and Louisiana roots. His custom brown suit was embellished with elegantly embroidered designs by Ranger Stitch, including a tiger (designed in the traditional Korean style), which honored his Korean heritage, as well as an Alligator and Magnolias (the official flower of Louisiana), both of which were nods to his home state.
“I just want to say I’m very grateful to be where I am here today,” Hardy told the crowd after performing “Authentic.” “Without the help of my family, friends, everybody, I wouldn’t be here. I give all thanks to them and most importantly give all of my thanks to the good Lord above for helping me along this journey and getting me where I am today. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank him for everything he’s done for me.”
He continued, “I’m just thankful that everybody came out today. I’m just excited to be here, happy to be here.”
The Music Mayhem artist to watch was welcomed to the stage by Bones to a roaring applause by the capacity crowd, made up of Hardy’s family & friends, who traveled from all across the country to cheer the singer on, as well as hundreds of country music fans. Hardy performed his latest single “Authentic” and his fan-favorite track “Other LA,” both which are set to appear on his forthcoming 11-track debut album, Here’s To Anyone.
Arriving on September 17 via Buena Vista Records / Industrial Media’s 19 Recordings, Here’s To Anyone will feature 11-tracks, including the previously released “Ground I Grew Up On,” “Let There Be Country,” “Other LA,” “Tiny Town,” “Memorize You” and his latest single “Authentic.” The album is produced by Michael Knox (Jason Aldean).
“I’m a down-home guy, from Southeast Louisiana,” Hardy said. “ I just want to show all my fans that I’m not going to stray away from who I am, and where I come from. I feel like we really did that with the album and I’m very proud of it.”
The album is available for pre-order and pre-save now HERE.
Watch Hardy’s Opry debut at the 30:15 mark in the video below.
Additionally, the “Tiny Town” singer also recently kicked off his headlining Monster Energy Outbreak tour which will run through the end of the year. Tickets and information may be found at lainehardymusic.com/tour.
He is also currently in the process of making plans to assist his home state as Hurricane Ida makes landfall. Additional details for that can be found on his social media in the coming days.
See photos from his Opry debut below.
