Lauren Alaina to Join Major Tour in 2012

Lauren Alaina has plans to join a big concert tour in 2012. Though she's not ready to reveal exactly who her touring partner(s) will be, the 'American Idol' runner-up tells Taste of Country she's looking forward to the opportunity.

“Some time next year, I’m going to go out on tour opening up for someone [big],” Alaina says. “We’ll be announcing that some time coming up, but right now I’m doing a lot of promotion for my new album. I’m just trying to get my name out there a little bit more and be able to perform as much as I can.”

The 17-year-old's debut album 'Wildflower' hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the iTunes chart, thanks largely to the exposure she received while battling Scotty McCreery and others on 'Idol.'

"That was really cool, especially for a new artist,” she says of her iTunes feat. “I have to thank ‘American Idol’ for all of that publicity because a lot of people know who I am from being on that show. Things in the past year have really been going great for me. I’ve been super blessed. I am just very thankful to all my fans and my family and everybody who’s been supporting me.”

While we won't speculate on who Alaina might be touring with, we're pretty sure it won't be McCreery, who is signing on to the 2012 tour of country superstar Brad Paisley.

Alaina is likely to have a few more hits under her belt by the time her 2012 tour rolls around. She hit No. 20 with her first single, 'Like My Mother Does,' and she's currently charting with her latest release, 'Georgia Peaches.'