American Idol’s HunterGirl “Ain’t About You”: First female in 30 years to solo write her debut radio single
American Idol 2022 runner up HunterGirl’s latest single, “Ain’t About You” impacts country radio today, 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 in a press statement. “‘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.”
“Ain’t About You” written two weeks before HunterGirl’s American Idol audition
Having grown up winning singing and songwriting competitions and cutting her teeth performing on Lower Broadway, the country singer 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, she put pen to paper for a 45-minute conversation with Jesus. Written just two weeks before she auditioned for American Idol, the honest words of “Ain’t About You” flooded out, 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 (2021) and Noah Thompson (2022) 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,
HunterGirl releases new Christmas music to be featured in Hallmark Channel’s Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up
Additionally, HunterGirl releases her first-ever holiday tracks with “Christmas Again” and “Hurry Up Christmas.”
“Christmas Again” will be featured in Hallmark Channel’s new movie, Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up, premiering 11/25. The singer’s delicate voice and romantically enchanting lyrics perfectly bring the idyllic holiday song to life. Fusing nostalgic, fairy-tale romance and the wishful spirit of Christmas, the dreamy song reminds you that the holiday magic you felt as a kid never fades.
