From the moment Lauren Alaina stepped on the stage of American Idol all the way back in 2011 to the moment she stepped on stage as an opener on Jason Aldean’s High Noon Neon Tour in 2018, her fans have always been her top priority.

But lately, she has been struggling with one regret. Due to her increasing popularity, she doesn't have the ability to meet and greet fans and sign autographs at the same capacity anymore.

"I’ve played really big tours like this before, but I’ve never had the success that I have now while playing on these tours. So up to this point I’ve always liked to sign after every show—but when there are 16,000 people in the crowd, I can’t do that anymore,” Alaina admitted to Taste of Country during a recent backstage interview in Chicago.

“I mean, I just can’t. We’ve talked about it a lot, and even if five percent of those people come to meet me, it’s a lot of people. Plus, there are curfews at these amphitheaters and the rules are very different.”

Rules are rules, but it still hurts her heart.

“I feel like I am missing out because I know the fans love [when I come out and sign], and I love it too,” explained Alaina, who recently took home the New Female Vocalist of the Year honors at the 53rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. “I love getting face-to-face with these people who are the reason I get to do what I do. Taking care of my fans is really important for me to do, and I can’t do it on this tour.”

But in true Alaina fashion, the country hitmaker has come up with a solution of sorts. “Now while I am on stage, I just kind of have been scouting the audience,” she says. “I hate that I’m not getting to meet all of them, but now I’m trying to take the time to pay attention to the people who look like they would really want to meet me. My team goes out after the show, and gets them to come backstage. It's just about making everyone feel special. So if you want to meet me, bring a sign, and I'll do my best.”

Alaina says she has a special place in her heart for all of her fans, but especially the little girls in the audience. “I was a little girl with a dream out there once,” she said. “I love when someone goes out of their way to hug me and make me feel special. I try to give that back to my fans. I mean, these people are the reason I got to buy a house this year.”

And if anyone loves her fans with all of her heart, it’s Alaina.

“I always kind of wonder what its like for people that do this job that aren’t really people people,” she noted. “I’m like a social butterfly. If I’m not talking to someone, I’m talking to myself!

"I just love people, and I think that’s my message, as an artist—inclusion of all people. I think we all have stories and we are all doing the best we can...That’s just who I am. I try to love everyone fully.”

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