We went an entire season without knowing it, but apparently 2019 American Idol champ Laine Hardy, 18, is Asian.
Heavy reported that Hardy’s mother is Cindy Lou Hardy. On her Facebook page, she has several photos of her son performing on Idol. She also appeared in the hometown visit segment of Idol last night.
Her son beat out Alejandro Aranda,25, of Pomona, California for the top prize.
Hardy hails from Louisiana, according to The Advocate. People reports that Harding did not even intend to audition for the program this year. He competed last year, but fans eliminated him. He showed up to accompany a friend to the audition, but when the judges recognized him, they encouraged him to audition as well.
Hardy has not commented on his background, preferring to keep the focus on his music.
Hardy is recognized for his southern charm.
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RE: New American Idol champ appears to be hapa: Everyone I know watching AMERICAN IDOL (not Voices) knew he was a hapa Asian. It was no secret. He didn’t hide it. They didn’t stress it. Which was the right thing to do. Same as for Alejandro. Or else they’d need to talk about the Irish kid, or German ethnic, the Heinz 57 contestants, etc. Alejandro is a genius talent, but according to my daughter country music is the number one favorite music genre in America. And Laine is certainly darling! And also has an identifiable voice and very good. It was great to see that the two remaining contestants were POC!
RE: New American Idol Champ Appears to be Hapa: You are right. Ms. Cindy, his mom, is half Korean.