HunterGirl’s Self-Penned Debut Single, ‘Ain’t About You,’ Makes Major Impact At Country Radio

HunterGirl’s debut single, “Ain’t About You” officially hit the country radio airwaves on Monday (Oct. 23) and upon its impact, claimed the esteemed title of most-added. The powerful tune locked in 46 first-week stations in markets including San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis and more. 

This comes as an especially high honor for HunterGirl, considering the chapter of her musical journey that this song represents as well as the fact that she is the first female country artist in over 30 years to write her debut radio single by herself.

“Having a song on country radio has been my dream since I was a little girl,” the American Idol Season 20 runner-up shared via press release. “‘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.”

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Ken Tucker, VP of Promotion, Wheelhouse Records went on to boast about HunterGirl’s latest achievements, commending the songstress on her ability to expose true vulnerability through tender songwriting, which she pulls straight from the experiences of her own life. 

“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 Tucker. “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.” 

Produced by award-winning producer Lindsay Rimes, “Ain’t About You” was born two years ago during a time when HunterGirl found herself feeling frustrated and ready to give up on her dreams. However, doing what she does best, she turned her emotional struggles into a set of lyrics that uncover an authentic look into the power of prayer and patience in her personal journey.   

This write also just so happened to come about two weeks before she auditioned for ABC’s American Idol. This opportunity sparked a resurgence in HunterGirl’s confidence as she was reminded of her true purpose – to make music that touches people’s lives. Suddenly, HunterGirl was pulled out of the rut and found herself winning over the hearts of America on the singing competition show, which led to her signing a record deal with BBR Music Group.

“I just sat there with my guitar like I did whenever I was back in my hometown and just poured my heart out for 45 minutes, crying and everything,” she previously told Country Now. “I was just kind of thinking about life from a different perspective and then funny enough, a week later I auditioned for American Idol and everything completely changed. It was just this moment in my life where I was thinking about giving up and just hanging on till tomorrow and everything changed.”

Despite having this new platform to let her music shine and a growing fanbase grasping onto her sound, HunterGirl still couldn’t totally shake her fear of rejection. As a result, she kept “Ain’t About You” private until one night at a BBQ cookout with fellow Idol alums, Chayce Beckham and Noah Thompson. While passing around the guitar, she ended up them a taste of the song, which to her surprise, earned great praise and admiration from the rising stars who then encouraged her to share it with the rest of the world. 

Throughout the dreamy melody and acoustic guitar strums, HunterGirl delivers a last-chance plea to God to guide her in the right direction in what she dubs her “45-minute conversation with Jesus.”

To emphasize her perspective of hope and faith, the 25-year-old points to a little girl in the first chorus who “needs a song telling her she’s beautiful when the world tells her she’s wrong.” Then by the second chorus, she changes things up to bring attention to a “little boy” who “needs a safe place to cry when the whole world says to suck it up just cause he’s a guy.”

“But if you give up, if you give in / You should know that you’re not the only one who’s losing / What if there’s a little girl / Who needs a song / Telling her she’s beautiful / When the world tells her she’s wrong / 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,” she sings on the chorus.

By delivering these lyrics, HunterGirl hopes to motivate listeners to never give up on their dreams, even in the most difficult and low moments when fear of failure is at its peak. 

“I think so much of the time, we’re worried about the future and we are overthinking and especially with social media, looking at everybody’s lives and thinking we’re not doing enough or we’re not good enough. And I think anybody out there that’s thinking about giving up on their dream or giving up on something that they love, I hope they just wait, just give it some time.”

“Ain’t About You” also serves as a glimpse into her yet-to-be announced project that is currently in the works. However, it may be some time until fans get their hands on the entire collection because she is “really taking my time to put together something I’m really proud of.”

HunterGirl has continued to put her talent on display throughout the year as she has been tapped to serve as support on dates with Luke Bryan, Parmalee, Josh Turner, and Luke Combs for his pre-show tailgate stage.

To stay up to date with HunterGirl and her upcoming shows, fans can visit her official website HERE.