Laci Kaye Booth emerged as a country singer and songwriter whose warm, smoky voice often lent itself to intimate and introspective material, first gaining widespread attention when she placed among the Top Five finalists during the 2019 edition of American Idol. Her independent debut, the 2017 release Something New, highlighted a robust, roots-oriented approach, yet the momentum from her television run secured a contract with a major label and prompted a shift toward a sleeker, pop-tinged aesthetic on the self-titled album that arrived in 2021. Seeking expanded artistic control, she issued the atmospheric single “Damn Good in a Dive Bar” in 2022; that track opened the door for the comparably atmospheric follow-up “Cigarettes” the next year.
Born in Livingston, Texas, on August 25, 1995, Booth grew up in a household where her father championed traditional country figures including Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings, while her mother gravitated toward pop-leaning artists such as Shania Twain, the Chicks, and Lee Ann Womack. She first explored music through church performances and family karaoke nights, composing her initial song at age nine. Weekend engagements across Texas marked her teenage years, culminating in the independent recording of Something New, which surfaced in 2017. Although she aspired to a full-time music career, her parents required her to pursue higher education; she was nearing completion of her bachelor’s degree when she auditioned for American Idol in 2019 with Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.” Selected for the competition, she advanced to the Top Five of the show’s seventeenth season, delivering interpretations that spanned blink-182, Fleetwood Mac, and the Bee Gees. Finishing in a tie for fourth place, she later described the experience as essential preparation for her professional path.
After moving to Nashville and signing with 19 Recordings/Big Machine Label Group in 2020, Booth worked with producer Dann Huff, whose résumé includes Faith Hill and Keith Urban. The resulting eight-song project Laci Kaye Booth appeared in mid-2021 and featured a duet with Lady A’s Charles Kelley. Despite modest commercial traction, the album left her dissatisfied with its creative direction; her subsequent release from the label felt like a chance to regain autonomy. Teaming with producer and songwriter Ben West, she recorded several new pieces, among them “Damn Good in a Dive Bar,” which drew on her admiration for both Fleetwood Mac and Lana Del Rey. The single received favorable notices and strong streaming figures, prompting a fresh recording agreement, this time with Geffen. In December 2023 she unveiled her first Geffen release, the reflective and autobiographical “Cigarettes.”
