Who is Lauren Alaina? Just the Future Champ of American Idol in 2011

Who is Lauren Alaina? A few weeks ago America might have stumbled when asked that question with a collective look of confusion. These days, Lauren Alaina is the girl to watch on American Idol 2011. Nobody is quite as confused as to who this Lauren Alaina gal is.

Alaina, a 16 year old from Rossville, Georgia has been declared the early favorite by some odds makers. My American Idol predictions say she'll not only take that title but be extremely successful as a pop or country recording artist.

Alaina recently performed the Reba McEntire hit "Turn on Your Radio" to help earn herself a spot in the 2011 American Idol top 24. The performance was so polished it might have slipped by some fans of the show as an "okay" performance. I thought Alaina was actually a bit better at the song than Reba herself-and I wouldn't normally say that about any artist in regards to one of the best singers country music has to offer. Alaina is that strong on vocals. She breezed through a normally tough Reba song without a hitch. It could almost have gone unnoticed because it was just so flawless.

Did the judges like Lauren Alaina? Absolutely. All three judges have been floored with Alaina since day one of the auditions. It's clear she has one of the strongest singing voices in the competition. She has this Trisha Yearwood look going on that will resonate quite well with country music fans. But she has the powerful vocals of Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.

Somebody made the comparison between Lauren Alaina and Kellie Pickler on American Idol and Ryan Seacrest presented that to her. Lauren Alaina says she is just Lauren and kind of blew off the comparison. That's probably because Pickler, who has done quite well, isn't really in Lauren Alaina vocals territory in my opinion. Pickler is fun, energetic and a strong singer. But I think Alaina has an incredible talent that will not be denied. That's why she'll win American Idol in 2011. I think it would take an incredible performance to knock her out. I have this gut feeling that Alaina will be putting up some tear jerking performances in the coming weeks with her incredible vocals. She makes it look so effortless when others appear to be really pushing to hit those high notes.

I don't think the question, "who is Lauren Alaina" will be asked too often anymore as we move forward in the 2011 American Idol competition. She's that good and my best hunch is she'll take the American Idol title in a landslide. Who knows, maybe she'll even do "Landslide" along the championship route. That would only be fitting for this Georgia peach who stands tall amongst an incredible amount of great competition this year.