Laine Hardy, what a kid am I right? The 18-year-old boy has an amazing talent for singing, and I think he proved that when he won American Idol this year. Hardy is from Livingston Louisiana, a small parish right outside of Baton Rouge. Laine is the first person from Louisiana to win American Idol and we couldn't be prouder.
I can't speak for everyone, but I can't wait to see the music that this guy produces, but until then, here are Laine Hardy's top 10 covers.
10. "Here Without You" - 3 Doors Down
Laine Hardy "Here Without You" Cover
This song will always be a bop, but I never would have guessed it could get better until I heard Laine Hardy cover it. HOW DOES HE GET HIS VOICE SO RASPY??? Does he smoke like 10 packs a day??? Laine has the perfect voice to sing this song. His deep raspy voice makes it sound like everything he sings is coming from the depths of his soul aka the Bayou.
9. "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen
Laine Hardy "Fat Bottomed Girls" cover
As much as I love Laine, no one can sing Queen quite like the Queen himself, Freddie Mercury, BUT in my book, Laine comes in a close second. Hardy just has such a unique voice and his cover brought a completely different sound to the song that really worked.
8. "Bring It Home To Me" - Sam Cooke
Laine Hardy "Bring It Home To Me" cover
And, bring it home he did. Laine brought an American Idol win allll the home down here in Southern Louisiana!
7. "Johnny B. Good" - Chuck Berry
Laine Hardy "Johnny B Good" cover
Laine Hardy has such a classic southern country sound that the can successfully sing these types of songs the way they were meant to be sung, and THAT is a talent that very few people can do.
6. "Blue Suede Shoes" - Elvis
Laine Hardy "Blue Suede Shoes" cover
Like I said before, Hardy has a very classic voice that would have the king himself shaking in his boots. To be able to have a voice that deep and raspy but still be able to sing, clearly is something you don't see every day.
5. "Jambalaya" -Hank Williams
Laine Hardy "Jambalaya" cover
If your mom didn't sing this to you as a kid, you're not from southern Louisiana. This song was my entire childhood, my mom used to sing this to me all the time, and to this day, it gets me more hyped up than any pop or hip-hop song.
4. "Home" - Marc Broussard
Laine Hardy "Home" cover
Country Rock & Roll, it's the best of both worlds, but not too many people can pull it off, much less an 18-year-old kid from a small parish in southern Louisiana. Hardy brought the house down with this one. #partywithhardy
3. "Something About The Way You Look Tonight" - Elton John
Laine Hardy "Something About The Way You Look Tonight" cover
High-key, I'm gonna need Laine to record this with Elton John, so it can be my wedding song. I would bet money that if you closed your eyes and listened to Hardy sing you would never guess he was only 18 years old.
2. "Dirt On My Boots" - Jon Pardi
Laine Hardy & Jon Pardi "Dirt On My Boots"
What made this cover so awesome was that Pardi sang it with him. I love Jon, but I'm gonna go ahead and say Laine Hardy sang better than him #sorrynotsorry #PardiwithHardy (see what I did there, Pardi with Hardy)
1. "Hurricane" - The Band Of Heathens
Laine Hardy "Hurricane" cover
The song that started it all. This is the song that Laine used in his audition the first time he tried out for American Idol. This song has always been a favorite of mine, but Laine brought a whole new sound to this song with his extra raspy voice, and I am SO here for it. The best part? A year later he sang it again when he was voting into the top 10, and it was even better.
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