Showing the limitless bounds of her artistry, American Idol runner-up HunterGirl today releases her most powerful song yet with the hauntingly beautiful and self-written “Ain’t About You.” Listen now HERE.
"If there's anybody out there right now thinking about giving up on a dream or something they love, I hope they listen to this song and think twice about it," says HunterGirl. "We're all here to do something special."
The songstress, who grew up winning singing and songwriting competitions and cutting her teeth performing on Lower Broadway, 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. Entirely self-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:
What if there’s a heart who needs some hope
And finds it in the words that you almost never wrote
So before you say you’re not good enough
That all your dreams are wishing dust
You call it quits, walk away, and say you’re through
What if it ain’t about you
A gutsy and prolific songwriter, her work with veterans’ organizations where she uses music therapy to transform warrior’s stories into songs allowed her to give in whole-heartedly to her emotions, writing the song with pure honesty, not worrying about fitting it into a certain mold.
Fast forward just weeks after she wrote “Ain’t About You,” the rising star won 2nd place on American Idol, signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/BBR Music Group/Wheelhouse Records and co-headlined a pack-out tour. Now, the beautifully honest song that started everything, “Ain’t About You” - produced by Lindsay Rimes (Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini) - is available now.
Photo Credit: David McClister
About HunterGirl:
A Tennessee native, singer/songwriter HunterGirl has been performing since she was three years old and writing songs since she was 9. 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 the hauntingly powerful “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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