America’s sweetheart, vocal powerhouse, and esteemed songwriter HunterGirl’s powerful “Ain’t About You” today impacts country radio, securing this week’s coveted most-added accolade on Wheelhouse Records, locking in 46 first-week stations in markets including San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis, Charlotte, Portland, Ore., and San Antonio.
HunterGirl is the first female country artist in over 30 years to write her debut radio single by herself. “Ain’t About You” is produced by award-winning producer Lindsay Rimes (Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini).
“Having a song on country radio has been my dream since I was a little girl,” says HunterGirl. “‘Ain’t About You’ was supposed to be my ‘I’m leaving Nashville song,’ and it ended up being my ‘staying in Nashville song.’ I hope that anyone who is thinking about giving up on their dreams hears this song and decides to give it a second chance.”
“HunterGirl is an amazing singer and songwriter, but what really differentiates her is her heart, which is on full display when she meets fans, radio programmers and even strangers on the street," says Ken Tucker, VP of Promotion, Wheelhouse Records. "She’s a generational talent, and I can’t wait to watch her journey. ‘Ain’t About You’ is a song that she wrote entirely on her own, and for a debut single on a female country artist, that's a benchmark that hasn't been hit in the last 30 years."
Having grown up winning singing and songwriting competitions and cutting her teeth performing on Lower Broadway, the American Idol runner-up came home from back-to-back writing sessions one day with an ache she just couldn’t shake. Seeing the success of her friends - signing record and publishing deals - she couldn’t help but wonder if she was on the right path, still chasing her musical dream in Nashville, when she hadn’t made much leeway.
Discouraged with a breaking heart, trembling voice and eyes filled with tears, she put pen to paper for a 45-minute conversation with Jesus. Written just two weeks before she auditioned for ABC’s American Idol, the hauntingly honest words of “Ain’t About You” flooded out of her like a resounding prayer, reminding her there’s “purpose in the wait.”
Scared of rejection, she kept the song a secret, until she finally had some liquid courage and sang it for American Idol winners Chayce Beckham and Noah Thompson at a BBQ cookout where they were passing around a guitar. It wasn’t until she heard their shocked response and fervent encouragement that she finally decided it was time to share it, and since the release of the heart-stirring song, it has already received tremendous praise from People, PopCulture, American Songwriter, CMT, Entertainment Tonight, Taste of Country, The Boot and more:
Photo Credit: David McClister
“HunterGirl ‘peeled back her soul’ and the song - a soulful tearjerker of a ballad questioning if ‘tomorrow's the day those closed doors will open up’ poured from her like water and wine.”
– Tennessean
“It's an inspiring anthem for anyone seeking their true calling, made even more powerful by the circumstances under which she wrote it.” – Sweety High
“‘Ain’t About You,’ is a product of this experience as it uncovers an authentic look into the power of prayerand patience in her personal journey.” – Country Now
“The raw track is full of chilling conviction. The striking and painfully relatable lyrics truly fall out of the Tennessee girl in the most honest and humble of ways.” – All Country News
“HunterGirl showcases exactly why America fell in love with her in this song.” – Country Swag
About HunterGirl:
A Tennessee native, singer/songwriter HunterGirl has been performing since she was three years old and writing songs since she was nine. In her early teens, she performed at venues across the United States, competed in singing competitions and won the 2014 Texaco Country Showdown. After graduating high school, she moved to Nashville and immediately started playing gigs at Nashville’s most famous venues including Tootsie’s, Rippy’s, Jason Aldean’s Bar, The Listening Room, and HonkyTonk Central, winning songwriting contests such as “Nash Next” and the prestigious “Nashville Songwriter Association International” in her spare time. Due to having family members who served in the military, HunterGirl holds a deep admiration for our Country’s armed forces and tenaciously works with many veteran organizations, where she uses music therapy to transform veterans’ stories into songs. She’s shared the stage with Country superstars Old Dominion, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, Alan Jackson, Lainey Wilson, Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels, Sara Evans and more. Last year, she competed on American Idol, where the “country singer with a bright future” (Hollywood Life) delivered standout performances that Taste of Country called “impressive,” “shining,” “chill-worthy,” and “glowing,” winning the hearts of millions across the country. Praised by Idol judge and Country superstar Luke Bryan as the “new age Miranda Lambert” and his “favorite female Country voice,” “HunterGirl has wowed the Country music community since she stepped foot onto the American Idol stage” (Billboard). “Despite missing out on the win, her crooning vocals and intimate original song, ‘Red Bird,’ has made her one to watch in the Country scene (American Songwriter). Skyrocketing to No. 1 on iTunes All-Genre and Country charts, “the budding Country star” (Taste of Country) performed her heartfelt and deeply personal original track “Red Bird” on Live with Kelly & Ryan and has appeared on Good Morning America. Now, with the release of her label debut tracks “Hometown Out Of Me,” “Lonely Outta You” and her hauntingly powerful debut radio single “Ain’t About You,” driven by her distinct and genuine vocals, unwavering tenacity, and heart of gold, HunterGirl is on the fast track to becoming Country’s next big female artist.
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