Chris Lane just released a music video for his hit single, "Fix," is currently on tour with Dustin Lynch and was recently named one of CMT's "Listen Up" artists on the rise for 2016 -- but way back in 2007, the country singer was labeled "amateurish" by the one and only Simon Cowell.
He's come a long way, right?
Lane and his twin brother, Cory, tried out for "American Idol" together during the show's 7th season -- and the audition video is pure gold.
"That was one of those moments, we were obviously young and dumb in college, and thought it would be funny if we attempted to go get on TV," Lane, now 31, tells toofab. "Little did I know, you know, many years later, here I am, actually singing for a living!"
"It was kinda funny: In my hometown, no matter where my brother and I went for, like, up to five or six months after that, everyone stopped us to take a picture," he continues. "They were like, 'You're the twins on 'American Idol!'"
After an unanimous "No" from the judges, the guys never thought about auditioning again, though Chris started getting more serious about a music career in the years that followed.
"I graduated college and moved back home, started helping my dad, did landscaping for a living. And, you know, I always thought baseball would be my path after college, but after several knee surgeries, it was kinda one of those things ... I guess my knees decided for me," he says now, looking back. "I really dove in on the guitar, and started learning how to sing."
The artist's EP straddles quite a few genres, much like country music itself these days, where there's a Chris Stapleton for every Sam Hunt.
"[Country music] continues to evolve. I think country's in a great place right now, there's room for a little bit of everything," explains Lane. "You still have some guys who are doing the traditional stuff, and then some guys who are more on the contemporary front of things - and, you know, I kind of feel like that's where I fit. I guess you could say that. I love how it's evolved, and I think it'll continue to evolve."
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Lane's currently on the road with fellow country star Dustin Lynch. While he's performed with big names like Florida Georgia Line in the past, this is the first time he's been on tour while he's had music out there.
"I've never really experienced what is happening now. You can kinda see the momentum, now that 'Fix' is getting out on the radio," he says. "People are showing up at the shows, they're singing along to that song specifically, but they're also singing along to all the other songs on the EP -- and like I just said, it's something I've not ever experienced, and it's really cool!"
As Lane continues to rise, he's also started coming face-to-face with more of his idols -- and it's been a surreal feeling.
"Recently I had the opportunity to meet Garth Brooks. And that's something that - I'd never met him before, and he just randomly walked into the studio. And, I mean, I was really taken aback," he says of the encounter. "And he shook my hand, introduced himself, and then asked me who some of my influences were. And I said, 'Well, you are,' and it got a laugh, and it was like, '“All right, then.' So, that was pretty cool."
His celeb interactions didn't all go that smoothly though. Lane's nerves got the best of him when he first met Keith Urban, an artist he credits with inspiring him to really get into music as a career.
"I feel like I need a redo with him, because I was so nervous in the moment, meeting him, that, you know, I kind of clammed up, and I feel like I messed it up," he says. "All I had to say was, 'Man, you had a great performance,' or whatever. You know, something along those lines. And I just didn't say anything. It was just kinda, shook his hand and walked off."
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Lane got his first taste of fame back on "Idol" -- but these days, he's all about another reality series: "The Bachelor."
'I am a sucker for that show. There is no doubt about it. It may be - some people call it, you know, trashy, or whatever, but I find it to be hysterical, and love everything about it. Like, I can't not watch it," he says, excitedly. "In fact, all my bandmates, who constantly made fun of my brother and I for watching it, are now, like, huge fans themselves, and they can't not watch it. So it's pretty funny."
With this heartthrobs status as "single," we had to ask: Would he ever consider being on the show?
"If I was [offered], I would take that. There's no doubt," he response. "In my early part of my career, where I'm at now, I probably couldn't do that, just because there's such a demand of time ... it'd kinda be impossible right now. But, hey, later, once I get settled into my career, you never know. [laughter]"
For more on Chris Lane and his tour, check out his official website.
