SOMEONE
SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ON AMERICAN IDOL... MARION
COUNTY,
COUNTY,
COUNTY, KENTUCKY NATIVE LAYLA SPRING. SHE STOLE AMERICA'S HEART ON
ABC'S
REBOOT BACK IN 20-18.
THREE YEARS LATER, SHAY
MCALISTER IS
CATCHING UP WITH THE FORMER IDOL
STAR TO
STAR TO
STAR TO SEE HOW HER LIFE HAS CHANGED....IT'S BEEN A
TOUGH EDUCATION.
TOUGH EDUCATION. NATS: AUDITION VIDEO
"MY NAME IS LAYLA SPRING AND I'M
FROM
FROM
FROM MARION COUNTY, RIGHT IN THE HEART OF KENTUCKY."
WHO COULD FORGET THE SWEET
SOUTHERN
SOUTHERN
GIRL
GIRL FROM
GIRL FROM SEASON 16. LAYLA SPRINNG "THAT AUDITION AIRED ONE NIGHT
AND I WOKE
UP AND IT WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT
THING- MY
THING- MY
LIFE
LIFE WAS
LIFE WAS DIFFERENT." NATS: IDOL PERMANCE VIDEO HER BIG VOICE SHOCKING THE JUDGES--
SCORING HER THE ULTIMATE IDOL
GIFT-- A GOLDEN TICKET TO HOLLYWOOD. LAYLA SPRING
"THE MAIN THING I WANTED TO DO
ON AMERICAN IDOL WAS JUST GET
THIS- I WANTED TO WIN BUT THAT
WASN'T REACHABLE TO ME AT THE
TIME. I JUST DIDN'T' BELIEVE IT.
I JUST DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT I
COULD DO IT. WHEN I GOT THIS GOLDEN TICKET- THE WHOLE THING
JUST CHANGED." SHE SOARED
THROUGH THE EARLY ROUNDS OF
AUDITIONS--MAKING IT TO THE LIVE
SHOW, BEFORE
FACING ELIMINATION.
. WHILE DISAPPOINTING SHE SAYS
IT STILL FELT LIKE HER JOURNEY
WAS JUST BEGINNING.
LAYLA SPRING
"WHENEVER I GOT OFF OF IDOL I
WAS UP HERE, I WAS ON CLOUD 9, I
WAS LIVING MY DREAM AND YOU KNOW
I
I STILL
I STILL AM ITS JUST NOT AS CLOSE TO ME IT SEEMS, IT SEEMS A
LITTLE BIT FURTHER AWAY, IT WAS
IN THE PALM OF MY HAND WHEN I
GOT OFF OF IDOL." A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN THE THREE YEARS
SINCE
SINCE LAYLA LEFT HOLLYWOOD. SHE TOLD US ALL ABOUT IT FROM A
HAMMOCK IN
HAMMOCK IN
HER
HER HOMETOWN BEDROOM. NATS: "I LIKE TO SIT UP HERE AND WRITE AND HANG OUT- ITS REALLY FUN IF
YOU GET IT SWINGING."
TAKING US BACK THROUGH THE PAST
FEW YEARS-- YOU CAN'T HELP BUT
HEAR IT IN HER VOICE. ITS BEEN HARD. SHE MISSED THE LAST TWO
YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL FOLLOWING
HER MUSIC CAREER, POURING HER
HEART INTO A RECORD, PRODUCED IN
NASHVILLE THAT WASN'T WHAT SHE
HOPED. LAYLA SPRING
"WHENEVER THAT HAPPENED IT WAS A
HUGE SET BACK FOR ME FOR SURE
BECAUSE WE HAD ALL THIS HOPE IN
THESE PRODUCERS THAT WE WAS
WORKING WITH IN NASHVILLE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HELP ME
SUCCEED AND GET ON THE ROAD.
WELL THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT SO
THEN I RECORDED 'ANOTHER YOU'."
RELEASING FIRST SINGLE. CALLED
"ANOTHER YOU" WAS EXCITING SHE REMEMBERS.
LAYLA SPRING
IT WAS SUCH A DREAM COME TRUE TO
FINALLY GET MY MUSIC OUT AND
TELL MY OWN STORY." .BUT IT DIDN'T CATCH ON RIGHT WAY AND
SHE SAID THAT FELT LIKE A SECOND
BLOW. LAYLA SPRING
"ANOTHER YOU DIDN'T REALLY GO AS
A PLANNED EITHER. AND THEN
AMERICAN IDOL REACHED OUT TO ME.
AGAIN." NATS: LUKE BRYAN
"WHEN I MET LAYLA SPRING TWO YEARS I COULDN'T BELIEVE A VOICE
THAT WAS THAT INCREDIBLE COULD
COME FROM A GIRL WHO WAS ONLY
16.
16. NOW
16. NOW SHE'S BACK FOR A SECOND CHANCE TO SING FOR YOUR VOTE." A
SECOND CHANCE ON IDOL. LAYLA
CALLS IT THE BOOST SHE NEEDED. LAYLA SPRING
"ITS JUST BEEN A DREAM OF MINE
FOREVER AND I GOT TO LIVE IT. IT
WAS CRAZY." BUT AS YOU MIGHT
ALREADY KNOW. SHE DIDN'T WIN THAT SEASON. INSTEAD SHE GOT
BACK TO WORK AT HOME. ON A FARM
IN MARION COUNTY. A PLACE SHE
LOVES BUT SOMEDAY HOPES TO LEAVE. LAYLA SPRING
"I DEFINITELY HAVE BIG GOALS,
BIG DREAM BECAUSE I DON'T WANT
TO STAY RIGHT HERE FOR SURE,
THAT'S FOR SURE I DON'T WANT TO
STAY IN THE SAME SPOT I'VE
BEEN." THEN SHE TOOK US TO ANOTHER SPOT. NATS: "DIXIE, PICK
ME UP, PICK ME UP!" .DOWN THE
ROAD TO HER WORK SPACE AS SHE CALLS IT.
NATS: GRAVEL/LAYLA SAYS "WOO!"
WHERE SHE FOCUSES ON RECORDING
MUSIC AND BUILDING HER SOCIAL
MEDIA... LAYLA SPRING
"ITS DEFINITELY NOT JUST TAKING
A PICTURE AND POSTING IT. THERE
IS SO MUCH THAT COMES WITH
POSTING ONE PICTURE. I JUST THINK THAT STUFF IS SO
INTERESTING." LAYLA SAYS SHE
WANTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT,
EVEN CONSIDERING PURSUING A
MARKETING DEGREE IN COLLEGE. AND
WHILE SHE MAY
HAVE MORE TO LEARN SHE CERTAINLY
IS
IS
IS ALREADY DOING SOMETHING RIGHT. WITH 100-THOUSAND FOLLOWERS ON
TIK TOK TODAY.
NATS: BUBBLE NOISE/POPS WITH TIK
TOKS POPPING UP
"IT WASN'T A PHASE MOM!! YOU JUST RAISED A DAUGHTER WHO LOVES
TO
SING ALL THE TIME!"
SHE SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA HAS ALWAYS
BEEN THE
BEST WAY TO CONNECT
WITH
WITH HER
WITH HER FANS. THIS PAST YEAR. IT BECAME THE ONLY WAY AS THE PANDEMIC SLOWED HER CAREER TO
CRAWL. HER PERFORMANCES, LIKE
EVERYONE'S, PULLED FROM THE
STAGE AND PUT ONTO SCREENS.
NATS TIK TOK VIDEO:
SINGING W/GUITAR ON PORCH LAYLA
SPRING
SPRING
SPRING "THIS PANDEMIC TAUGHT ME THAT- DO WHAT YOU LOVE. YOU ONLY GET
ONE LIFE. WHY SPEND IT DOING
SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T REALLY
LOVE? YOU
ONLY GET ONE LIFE. IF
YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU LOVE, DO
WHAT YOU REALLY LOVE." AND LAYLA
LOVES TO
SING. NATS: SINGING
'JULY'. CONTINUE THEM THROUGH
END OF PIECE SO THAT'S WHAT SHE
PLANS TO DO. SAYING SHE'S ALWAYS
HAD THE SAME DREAM BUT HER TIME
ON IDOL GAVE HER THE CONFIDENCE
SHE NEEDED TO MAKE THAT DREAM
INTO EVEN MORE. LAYLA SPRING
"I'M THE KIND OF PERSON WHO I
JUST
DON'T REALLY. I TALK ABOUT ALL
THIS
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, BELIEVE IN
YOURSELF, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
BUT BEFORE AMERICAN IDOL I DIDN'T BELIEVE IN MYSELF. I
DIDN'T BELIEVE I HAD IT. BUT
AMERICAN IDOL HAS CHANGED MY
LIFE FOREVER. AND I WILL FOREVER
BE SO GRATEFUL FOR IT." NATS:
BRING BACK UP HER SINGING FULL
TO
TO END
TO END SHAY TAG SHE SAYS HER GOAL IS TO BE
PLAYING A SOLD
OUT SHOW AT MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN IN
FIVE YEARS. BUT IN THE SHORT
TERM SHE'S
JUST EXCITED TO BE GETTING BACK
ON
STAGE. LAYLA
HAS S SHOW PLANNED
IN HER
HOMETOWN LATER THIS YEAR.
YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG THE
COMPETITION ON AMERICAN IDOL ON
SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS... RIGHT
HERE ON WHAS11.
YEAR.
YOU
YOU CAN
YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG THE COMPETITION ON AMERICAN IDOL ON
SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS... RIGHT
HERE
HERE