'Idol' Runner-Up Lauren Alaina Sings Scotty's Praises

By Michael Lopez

Sure it's only been two days, but around the country millions of fans are already feeling American Idol withdrawal. Groundbreaking on every level, season 10 brought new judges, new mentors, and whole lot of new talent. One of the brightest of the bunch was runner-up Lauren Alaina, who narrowly lost the title to Scotty McCreery. Speaking exclusively to Tr3s via conference call, she had a lot of praise for the country's newest Idol.

"I had a feeling it was going to be Scotty," Lauren said. "He's got the look and he’s so talented."

Viewers seemed to sense the chemistry between the two finalists. After the finale, rumors were swirling about a possible McCreery/Alaina romance. But Lauren made sure to set the record straight.

"We're just friends," she proclaimed.

Specializing in country music (just like Scotty), Lauren seemed to exude quite a bit of confidence during her time on the stage. Throughout the season, she applied her unique twang to classic tracks by Reba McEntire, Lee Ann Womack, and Elvis Presley (many times sounding just as good as the original artists).

"I was raised on country music," Lauren said. "I've always wanted to stay true to who I am and my country roots. My parents love country music and it’s what’s in my heart."

Alaina also confessed that her biggest professional thrill actually happened on Wednesday’s finale. During the show, Carrie Underwood joined her onstage for a crowd roaring performance of "Before He Cheats."

"It was amazing," Lauren said. "Just being able to sing with Carrie Underwood kind of set off the whole night."

And even though Alaina didn't take the top spot, she doesn't seem worried about her musical future one bit.

"The whole time I was on the show, I really tried to improve myself," she said. "I feel things happen for a reason and God has different plans for me."

We wouldn't be surprised if part of those plans included some multi-platinum albums.

Did you vote for Lauren on the Idol finale? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Exclusive Entrevistas, Hot Stuff, Lauren Alaina, Música, Scotty McCreery, Television, Tr3s Exclusives