Lauren Alaina Reveals ‘Most Rewarding’ Moment on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ Advice for Next Contestants (Exclusive)

Former Dancing with the Stars contestant Lauren Alaina is giving a little advice to the upcoming contestants of Season 29 after making it to the finals herself in Season 28. The country music singer said that while she may not be a dancer, she sure was proud of herself for being the only person without dance experience to make it to the finals. Now, she’s using her experience to help those gearing up for the upcoming season — although there has not been a full cast announcement as of this writing.

In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Alaina confessed she put a lot of pressure on herself at the time, but maintains how it’s all about the experience and having fun. “Oh my goodness, stretch!” were the first words that she said, laughing. “I would tell them to eat. You have to eat a lot of calories to keep up with how many you burn in a day. […] I put so much pressure on myself, and then I remembered that I’m not a dancer, so I just went out there and had fun and did my best!”

The former American Idol alum added that no matter if someone is in first or 10th place, it’s really just about learning “new skills and celebrate what you’ve done in your career.” She adds: “It’s just a celebration of all the success you’ve had, so don’t take yourself too seriously because you’ll drive yourself nuts. It’s meant to be a fun situation, not a stressful one.”

When Alaina made it to the finals, she happened to be one of the only ones without prior dance experience. “I was really proud because I was the only person on there without any dance experience in the finale, so that made me pretty proud.”

Fellow contestant Ally Brooke, who she competed against, is now one of her closest friends today and credits the show for blossoming that relationship. “Ally became one of my best friends. I would say [it was] the most rewarding thing I got from that experience is my friendship with Ally Brooke, besides the connectivity with the fans.”

A lot has changed for Alaina, along with everyone else, since her shining days on DWTS as a result of the pandemic that struck the world in 2020. As a result, she has slowed down quite a bit schedule-wise but confessed spending a lot more time on her music with a new EP coming out soon called, Getting Over Him — regarding a recent breakup. “It’s a very sassy thing, so if you know anybody going through a breakup, I’ve got music coming out for you on September 4!”

Something else occupying her time is her recent partnership with U.S. Cellular as she prepares for an upcoming livestream performance on Sept. 10. “I am really excited to be working with U.S. Cellular because they’re all about connecting with people and being fair and being kind. [They] had this idea of being creative and finding ways to still connect with people […] now we have the livestream that we’re going to do on September 10th, and it’s just really important to me to stay connected with people and when I find a brand that that’s their goal too, and their mission lines up with my mission and what they want to say lines up with what I want to say and what I want to promote, it’s a really natural fit.”

To sign up for the virtual concert and for a chance to have a meet and greet with Alaina, visit USCellularConnects.com. For more on your favorite celebrities, keep it right here at PopCulture.com.