Country star Lauren Alaina is on top of the world, literally and figuratively. Fifteen years after skyrocketing to fame on “American Idol,” the power vocalist’s new duet with Chase Matthew, “All My Exes,” will top next week’s Country Airplay chart, Billboard revealed on October 16, 2026.
“My heart may explode from excitement,” Alaina commented on an Instagram post from Billboard Country. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. @iamchasematthew WE DID IT”
‘All My Exes’ is Lauren Alaina’s 4th Number One Country Hit
Alaina was runner-up to Scotty McCreery, who became her dear friend as they competed on season 10 of “American Idol.” The Rossville, Georgia, native was just 16 when she impressed the judges with her southern twang and powerful voice.
Riding high on her newfound popularity, Alaina’s debut single in 2011, “Like My Mother Does,” was a hit, and her first studio album, “Wildflower,” cracked the Top 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. She has scored three other number-one songs, but it’s been a while; her last chart-topper was 2020’s “One Beer” with HARDY and Devin Dawson.
Three years earlier, in 2017, Alaina scored her first number-one country single with “Road Less Traveled,” which she co-wrote with Meghan Trainor and Jesse Frasure. That same year, she landed a massive hit on “What Ifs,” a duet with her childhood friend and fellow country star, Kane Brown.
Lauren Alaina Has Been Open About Ups & Downs
In 2022, Alaina hit another major milestone, as she became the youngest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. But for all of her successes, she’s also experienced some big life challenges, including navigating her struggles with disordered eating and losing her dad to a heart attack in 2024.
She did, however, welcome her first child in June 2025, daughter Beni Doll Arnold, with her husband Cam Arnold.
During an April 2026 appearance on the “If You Can Hear Me” podcast, Alaina shared, “The last couple of years of my life have been very life-changing, not just because I became a mother. I also lost my father, which I’ve talked a lot about.”
All of those changes may have opened a creative portal for Alaina, who wrote “All My Exes” with Jimmy Gutch, Ben Johnson, and Whitney Phillips about a relationship from her early 20s. It appears on her 2026 album, “Stages.”
“I’m so grateful to this song and what it’s done for my career,” she told Country Now. “I’ve been putting out music and wanting something to go to the top of the charts again. And I have had other number ones, Kane and I put out ‘What Ifs’ and HARDY put out ‘One Beer,’ but my own song that I wrote and released, it’s been nine years (since that happened).”
As Alaina and Matthew watched their tune climb the country charts, they started posting fun videos urging fans to call their local radio stations to request “All My Exes.” The strategy couldn’t have hurt — and now they’re sitting pretty at number one.
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Lauren Alaina Says Her ‘Heart May Explode’ Over Huge Career News, 15 Years After ‘American Idol’