‘American Idol’s’ HunterGirl Tributes Her Tennessee Hometown In Emotional New Song
Weeks after her emotional homecoming celebration on American Idol, HunterGirl is graciously thanking the people in her hometown for their…
HunterGirl; Photos via Instagram Stories
Weeks after her emotional homecoming celebration on American Idol, HunterGirl is graciously thanking the people in her hometown for their endless support with an unreleased new song.
The first-ever Platinum ticket recipient and American Idol runner-up took to social media on Sunday evening (June 5) to share the tune, which serves as a tribute to Winchester, Tennessee.
“Wrote a ✨NEW SONG✨this week! This one is called ‘Hometown Out of Me’ 💛,” the Franklin County native shared. “I want to thank my hometown and all the surrounding counties for supporting me throughout my music journey so far. You guys have went above and beyond, and I love and appreciate y’all so much. Wrote this with @jammyrabbins and @lauraveltz 😊! Would love to know what you guys think! ❤️”
She opened the clip by graciously thanking everyone who supported her Idol journey back home.
“Hey guys, I just wrote a new song about my hometown, I just want to tell everybody thank you so much for all the love and support and this one’s called ‘Hometown Out Of Me,’ I hope you guys like it,” HunterGirl said.
Co-written Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, “Hometown Out of Me” finds HunterGirl promising to never forget where she came from and declaring she will always stay true to her roots.
“I’m never gonna not think Heaven’s at the end of Daddy’s little gravel road / I’m never gonna not be the same old same me everybody back there knows / An apple’s still an apple when it’s nowhere near the tree / You can take me out of my hometown / But you can’t take my hometown out of me,” HunterGirl sings in the clip.
Her post garnered support from fellow Idol alumni, including Grace Leer, Dan Marshall, Leah Marlene, Jacob Moran and more.
Last month, the Idol finalist was recognized for putting her hometown on the map through her achievements on the popular singing competition show.
During the homecoming celebration, HunterGirl was presented with a key to the city of Winchester, a proclamation that declared May 17th “HunterGirl Day,” a plaque deeming her an honorary professor at her alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), as well as other gifts from teachers and other members of the community.
At the time of the event, a visibly emotional HunterGirl took to the stage to share her gratitude for her hometown’s unwavering support.
“Thank you guys, I love y’all, I’ll try not to cry the whole time. Thank you guys for always supporting me,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks. “Thank you for having my back. I wanted to chase my dream for a really long time, but I know I couldn’t do it without any of you guys.”
She went on to recall her time growing up in Winchester and dedicated her success on Idol to everyone who has helped her along the way.
“The whole point of music is to be able to share it with people and I’m lucky enough to have so many people that love me and appreciate just writing songs and trying to go after something. I’ve worked really hard at this since I was 14 years old and my mom and dad dropping me off and waving at me through the window like ‘oh my God, I just dropped my daughter off to play music,’” she said.’ “There’s so many people that I love here today and I just want to tell you that I appreciate you and If I become the next American Idol, it’s not gonna be just for me, it’s going to be for all of you guys because you guys believed in me from the start. Anytime that I thought about giving up, I knew I couldn’t because I had all you guys at home. So, thank you guys for loving me, because I love you too. Thank you guys.”
HunterGirl recently shared her debut single, “Red Bird,” co-written by HunterGirl (Hunter Wolkonowski) alongside Austin Goodloe and Matt McKinney and produced by Jimmy Robbins.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
You may also like
Country Next
Playlist
On Repeat
Get the latest country music news delivered straight to your inbox.
