On the surface, Lauren Alaina seems like a happy, carefree person who always has a smile on her face. But as the “Next Boyfriend” singer recently revealed in an intimate interview with Motto, that hasn’t always been the case.
Alaina first shot to country superstardom as a frontrunner on the tenth season of American Idol. She quickly became a fan favorite, and ended up going all the way to the finale along with fellow country singer, Scotty McCreery. While McCreery was declared the champion and Alaina the runner-up, she still experienced a sudden wave of success, with early singles such “Georgia Peaches” and “Like My Mother Does.”
Even though Alaina was a nationwide sensation by the time her season of American Idol wrapped up, she was still only a teenager at the time. As a teen suddenly thrown into the celebrity world, the pressure of being perfect started to get to Alaina, and she found herself focusing more and more on her weight.
“I just desperately wanted to be thin,” she said. “That’s all I thought. I was obsessed with it, which it was ridiculous because I had everything going for me.“
Alaina’s desperation to be thin resulted in a years-long struggle with an eating disorder, a time that she now looks back on with disbelief.
“I had bulimia for a few years, I was really sick. I don’t know that person, I can’t believe that was me.”
Alaina credits her mom for helping her recover, saying that her mom used to make her look in the mirror every day and name three things she loved about herself. At first, Alaina found it impossible to name even a single thing. But now, Alaina is happy to share how much she loves her eyelashes and her funny personality.
Although Alaina kept her personal struggles secret before, she now wants to share them with her fans in hopes that she could help someone else in a similar situation learn to love themselves. She plans to spread this message through her next album, which focuses on the importance of being confident in who you are.
“I want people to learn to love who they are,” Alaina said,” Because that’s the hardest thing in life, being able to see yourself the way other people see you.“
Some of the greatest songs come out of personal struggle, and we’re glad Alaina is using her own experiences to help her fans who may be going through the same thing. You can watch Alaina talk more about her past struggles and how they inspired her next album in her full interview below.
We’ve always loved Alaina and her music, and are glad to hear that she’s learning to love herself as well!
