Laci Kaye Booth is scheduled to bring her first-ever headline tour to Mahall's in Lakewood on Sept. 30, a stop that lands the American Idol alum turned rising country singer-songwriter in Northeast Ohio just days after the scheduled Sept. 18 release of her new album. The show is part of a seven-date run billed as the Love Ain't For The Faint Of Heart Tour.
The seven-date run includes the Mahall's stop. The tour is set to kick off Sept. 27 in Chicago at Carol's Pub, as MusicRow reported, and is scheduled to wrap in Los Angeles on Oct. 15.
The run supports Booth's new album, Love Ain't For The Faint Of Heart, which was due Sept. 18 via Lost Highway Records, according to the same MusicRow report. Countryswag.com also listed Sept. 18 as the release date. As Cleveland Scene reports, the record blends gothic and dark-romance inspiration with old-school country influences.
A Sound Shaped by Mold, Honeymoon Reruns and a Mugshot
Per Cleveland Scene, the album's title track and much of its writing came together with contributions from Morgan Evans, the country singer-songwriter identified as Booth's boyfriend. The opening track, Ride Or Die, was reportedly inspired by having the movie Honeymoon on constant rotation, Booth said, according to the outlet. Different, meanwhile, stands as her only solo-written song on the record, penned while she was living alone and falling deeply in love with someone who was emotionally shattered, per the same report.
One of the record's more unusual origin stories belongs to The Illusion Of Love, a track featuring Lukas Nelson, who co-wrote it alongside Booth and Ben West, according to Countryswag.com. Cleveland Scene reports the song was originally titled What The Fuck Do I Know About Love?, with Booth attributing its concept to living in a house with undiscovered mold. Another track, Daddy's Mugshot, was reportedly inspired by a Facebook photo of her father Jody Booth's mugshot; Cleveland Scene reports she sent the song to him after he was released from jail, and that he liked it.
Cleveland Scene also reports that Booth has said most of her family still in Texas have been to jail or prison, and that the single Pathetic explores her anxiety and struggle with faith. Another track, The Nerve, was reportedly inspired by an old flame trying to return to her life, per the outlet.
From American Idol Top 5 to the Opry Stage
Booth's rise has been years in the making. She reached the Top 5 on American Idol's 17th season in 2019, according to Opry.com, and Cleveland Scene notes she has been based in Nashville for eight years. Raised in Livingston, Texas, in a trailer park and later a barn, Booth grew up surrounded by music, with her father Jody Booth described as a respected Texas country singer, according to OnStageCountry.com.
Her path wasn't without setbacks. Big Machine Label Group dropped Booth in 2022, per Opry.com, before she found her footing again. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut in March 2025, and Cleveland Scene reports she has taken the Opry stage numerous times since. Booth is also listed among the acts featured in upcoming Grand Ole Opry concerts, according to Grand Ole Opry.
Cleveland Scene reports that Booth has recently been listening to Lana Del Rey. That earlier single, Damn Good in a Dive Bar, carried a dreamy, Fleetwood Mac feel that was inspired by an ex-boyfriend, she told People at the time.
Festival Stages, Collaborations and a Growing Resume
Before her headline tour, Booth spent recent months opening for Ella Langley's arena tour and playing CMA Fest, according to Cleveland Scene. MusicRow reported that she performed her singles Pathetic and Ethereal Redneck Shit during CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium's Platform Stage and the Spotify House, and that she was named one of Spotify's Artists to Watch for 2026 and one of CMT's Next Women of Country.
OnStageCountry.com reported that Booth performed at the Two Step Inn Festival in Georgetown, Texas, in April, and that she has shared stages with Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney and Ella Langley. She has also stayed busy with collaborations, co-writing and appearing on Carter Faith's Cherry Valley Forever deluxe album, per Cleveland Scene, and featuring alongside Baby Nova on Faith's song Pearl Handled Pistol, according to MusicRow.
Cleveland Scene describes Booth, 31, as one of country music's most promising rising stars — a label the Lakewood stop at Mahall's on Sept. 30 will put to the test in front of a hometown-adjacent Northeast Ohio crowd.
