Lauren Alaina Excited to Share ‘Wildflower’ With Fans

Lauren Alaina's debut album, 'Wildflower,' bowed online and in stores yesterday (October 12) and is already the No. 1 country album on iTunes this week!

"I'm so excited -- just to share my music with the fans is cool," Lauren gushes to The Boot. "I've been doing other people's songs for the past few months, and now it's going to be my songs, so I'm excited about that."

The 'American Idol' runner-up has had a whirlwind few months since exiting the 'Idol' stage. In addition to performing at the summer's CMA Music Fest and hitting the road on the American Idols LIVE! tour, the 17-year-old also appeared on several TV shows to promote her new album, including 'Good Morning America,' 'Live! With Regis & Kelly,' 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' and 'Entertainment Tonight.' But it was walking the red carpet at the Nashville premiere of 'Footloose' last week, along with stars including Julianne Hough, Blake Shelton and Big & Rich -- plus the film's leading man, Kenny Wormald -- that had the high-school junior most excited.

"Knowing that I'm able to do things like come to movie premieres just blows my mind," she admitted to us on the red carpet. "I cannot believe that I am able to do this and hang out with such awesome people. It's such an honor!"

The songbird's debut single, 'Like My Mother Does,' is already in the Top 40 and climbing. The tune, she explains, is a well-deserved homage to her own mother, who has been her primary source of inspiration.

'I've always wanted to work hard because my mom was a mother and working, with two kids, when she was 21!" she reveals to CMT. "She never went out and partied or got to do that kind of stuff. All she wanted was to have a family. And I really respect that in her. Most young girls wanted to go out and have fun, and my mom just wanted to have a family."

Including the song on the brand-new album was an easy decision for the teen. ['Like My Mother Does'] means a lot to me because my mama puts up with my stuff when nobody else will," she explains to The Boot. "My mama can handle me when no one else can and she knows how to make me feel better and lift me up. I'm lucky to have her, and to have a song about her makes me feel happy to be able to do that for her. When we argue now, I'll sing 'Like My Mother Does,' and she laughs. She doesn't want to laugh, but she does. So this song is my way of getting out of trouble now!"

In addition to performing a few local shows in the month of October, Lauren will return to the Opry stage on October 22, as part of the Women Rock for the Cure night, which also includes performances by Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler, Eden's Edge and Ronnie Milsap. Tickets begin at $34 and can be purchased here.

Don't miss your chance to ask Lauren a question during her live chat with fans exclusively on The Boot today (Oct. 12) at 1:00 PM (ET)!