At the tender age of 16, Lauren Alaina already has a lot going for her, including a fast-rising career in music, millions of fans from her stint on ‘American Idol,’ and a debut album mere weeks from release.

What she doesn’t have, however, is a date to the prom with fellow young country star Hunter Hayes.

In a matchmaking stunt cooked up by the hosts of a Seattle radio show, Alaina was informed that the 20-year-old Hayes had been complimenting her vocals as well as her looks, and she playfully responded by issuing him an open invitation to her prom.

Naturally, the opportunity to follow up was too much for the DJs to resist, so when they got Hayes on the phone this week, they put him on the spot.

“Oh, gosh,” stammered Hayes. He asked, “How much did you pay for her to do that?” before admitting that he’d skipped his own prom. “Every time something like that came up I was either at a gig or at home working in the studio. My geek world kind of took over, so I never made it out to one of those. That’s what’s funny about it.”

Ultimately, Hayes begged off, saying he didn’t think his schedule would allow for it. “I’ll tell you what I will be doing, that’s promoting my album that does come out on October 11,” he said, tossing in a quick plug. “I’m literally living in the moment. Living day by day.”

More From K96 FM