Lauren Alaina is looking ahead to her next musical chapter. The singer has signed a new deal with Big Loud Records, and she tells Billboard that it was her first and only choice for her next label home.

"I got a label that matches my personality: Big, loud and country," she explains, describing Big Loud as her "dream label" and pointing out that her conversations with label executives have already proved that they share her creative vision for the next era of her career.

"We had a creative conversation about songs that I love that other people have recorded and songs that I loved of mine and kind of what we want the sound to be," the singer details.

It's no surprise that Alaina and Big Loud Records are already in sync; the singer's worked with the label on multiple occasions, and many of the artists in the label's roster are Alaina's close friends. One of her three No. 1 country radio hits came from a partnership with the label: The Hardy-led "One Beer," also featuring Devin Dawson, came out in 2019.

In June 2022, Alaina once again teamed up with a Big Loud artist -- Chris Lane -- for a countrified version of the 1972 King Harvest hit "Dancing in the Moonlight." As she prepared to ink her new deal, Alaina consulted both those friends, plus another Big Loud buddy, Morgan Wallen.

"[Lane] goes, 'You have to do this. They will kill it for you,'" Alaina recounts. "I got to chat with Hardy and with Morgan and they all were really excited for me to be over there and super encouraging. Morgan said something really sweet: He said, 'You have a really big place in this format and I think they're gonna help you claim it."

Big Loud partner/CEO Seth England tells Billboard that fans can likely expect a new project from Alaina, produced by Joey Moi, by the end of 2022. It's too soon to say what specific songs and details fans can expect from the venture, but Alaina -- whose career has taken her all over the map, from a stint on American Idol to Dancing With the Stars -- says she wants to lean hard into her foundation.

"I really want to tap into my country roots," she explains. "I don't think people remember, like, how Southern I am. If you go back and watch me on American Idol, I'm like a country girl through and through."

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