Chris Lane Recalls Trying out for ‘American Idol’

When Chris Lane decided he wanted to pursue a music career, he did it the only way he knew how – by auditioning for American Idol. The 33-year-old auditioned for the first time with his twin brother, Cory, although it didn’t turn out quite like he had hoped.

“That was probably roughly ten years ago,” Lane recalls to PopCulture.com. “I never sang in front of anybody before, and I thought it’d be a cool opportunity just to go try. I was about to graduate college, and I just went for it. Made it through a bunch of the rounds. I even, nobody knows this, but I went back the year after, tried out by myself, and made it through all the rounds again, and didn’t make it to Hollywood again.”

Although Lane was discouraged, in hindsight Lane is grateful he didn’t make it to the final rounds on Idol.

“I had a lot of learning to do,” Lane concedes. “I never sang in front of anybody, so it was kind of one of those things – I’m glad it didn’t work out, because I had a lot of time to grow when I started as a cover band there in North Carolina. Ultimately, I think it worked out the best way that it could, because I wouldn’t be where I am right now, had I not been able to work all that out myself, by playing live. That’s ultimately what helped me the most.”

Lane grew up dreaming of being a professional athlete, not a musician, until injuries derailed those plans.

“My original plan was to be playing professional baseball, but after several ACL reconstructions, that kind of hurt my chances at that,” Lane says. “I’m really glad music worked out, because it’s not something I truly thought about my whole life. It’s something I’m really passionate about, even more passionate than I was about sports. But yeah, after college I moved back home, started helping my dad run the family business, Lane and Sons Landscaping.”

Lane’s latest album, Laps Around the Sun, will be out on Friday, July 13. The record includes his current single, “Take Back Home Girl,” a duet with Tori Kelly, and “Without You,” a duet with Danielle Bradbery. Pre-order the album, and find a list of all of Lane’s upcoming shows, by visiting his website.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Erika Goldring