Lauren Alaina Suddeth greets fans at Lakeview-Oglethorpe High School on May 14.
Staff photo by Jenna Walker/Chattanooga Times Free Press“American Idol” has given 16-year-old finalist Lauren Alaina Suddeth an opportunity, but now, win or lose, she needs to make smart decisions, say music industry professionals.
“The whole trick, especially for a new artist [with] the hype she is going to have, is to produce a string of hits,” said Joe “Dixie” Fuller, talent and production coordinator for Friends of the Festival in Chattanooga.
Suddeth, a Rossville resident who will compete in the “American Idol” finals against Scotty McCreery on Tuesday, with the voting results announced Wednesday, will need to make good choices and stick to what she believes in, said Kim Forester.
Forester, along with her sisters Christy, June and Kathy, formed the country group The Forester Sisters. The Lookout Mountain, Ga., quartet had 15 Top 10 singles and five No. 1 hits in the 1980s and 1990s.
“The best thing she can do is get a great, great manager,” Forester said, “someone who is well connected and knows who to avoid and what the best route is. Especially at the first because there will be so much attention on her, and she will be pulled in so many ways.”