Runaway June

A country trio with a bright, upbeat sound and skillful harmonies, Runaway June fuse a polished pop sound with the rootsy accents of contemporary country. Their songs put a progressive spin on the tried-and-true themes of family, romance, and living it up on Saturday night, and the acoustic guitars, mandolins, and fiddles that decorate their arrangements help them keep one foot in Nashville traditions. The group scored their first hit with the 2018 single "Buy My Own Drinks," while 2019's Blue Roses was their well-regarded debut album, and the 2021 EP Backstory helped fans get to know the trio's revised lineup; the 2023 single "Make Me Wanna Smoke" did the same when the membership changed again.

Runaway June was formed in 2015. The trio consists of Naomi Cooke on lead vocals and guitar, Hannah Mulholland on mandolin and vocals, and Jennifer Wayne on guitar and vocals. Cooke was raised in an Amish farming community and was one of 11 siblings. Mulholland is originally from Malibu and works in visual art and posts a cooking blog when not busy with music. Wayne is the granddaughter of Hollywood icon John Wayne; she was also a contestant on the reality TV series The Amazing Race and previously worked with the group Stealing Angels. The three began working together in January 2016, when Rob Hatch from Wheelhouse Records saw Cooke perform at a showcase and asked her if she'd be interested in writing songs with Wayne. Wayne had already been working on songs with Mulholland, and when the three writers and musicians met, they hit it off. Hatch liked what he heard and wasted no time signing them to Wheelhouse and taking them into the recording studio. Runaway June's first single, "Lipstick," was released in May 2016 and peaked at 28 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. In 2017, the group released "Wild West," which was also featured on their eponymous debut EP; the single reached 36 on Country Airplay.

The song "Buy My Own Drinks" gave the group their first Country Airplay Top 20 appearance in 2018 -- it reached 18 -- and set up the June 2019 release of their debut album, Blue Roses. Runaway June supported Blue Roses by joining Carrie Underwood on tour, serving as the opening act on her Cry Pretty Tour 360. That same year, the video for "Buy My Own Drinks" was nominated for Breakout Video of the Year at the 2019 CMT Music Awards. In 2020, Hannah Mulholland left the group, and Natalie Stovall, who previously fronted Natalie Stovall & the Drive, signed on in her place, contributing vocals and fiddle. The new lineup of the trio made their recording debut with the 2020 single "We Were Rich," a re-recording of a track from the Blue Roses album. Several months later, Runaway June helped their fans celebrate the holidays with a five-song EP, When I Think About Christmas. 2021 saw the release of a three-song EP, Backstory, that included the single "T-Shirt."

In early 2022, Naomi Cooke parted ways with Runaway June, with an eye towards launching a solo career. Stevie Woodward became the group's lead singer in April 2022, and in 2023, they left Wheelhouse Records to sign a new recording contract with Quartz Hill Records. Their first release for the new label was the single "Make Me Wanna Smoke," followed in early 2024 by "Smoke, Wine & Whiskey." They contributed the track "Put a Smile On" to 2024's Growin' Up Country, Vol. 2, a collection of kid-friendly country tunes. By the end of 2024, Runaway June had delivered two more singles, "New Kind of Emotion" and "He Ain't My Problem," as well as a pair of Christmas numbers, their interpretation of the Christmas classic "Mary, Did You Know?" and a new song, "Santa, Send Your Reindeer." ~ Mark Deming