10 Things You Need to Know About Runaway June

With their debut single, “Lipstick,” having become a smash hit on the country music charts, Runaway June are poised to be the genre’s next big thing.

Consisting of Naomi Cooke, Jennifer Wayne and Hannah Mulholland, the trio describe their music as having a “cowboy feel.” “When you get the chance to hear the songs together there’s this beautiful, American cowboy, western thread that runs through it,” Naomi explains.

She adds that this theme is one that resonates worldwide, noting, “There’s this incredible fantasy, and romance, surrounding the American western cowboy, and it’s heard all around the world. People come here to see the museums, and they watch westerns in India. Somehow we’ve managed to have a thumbprint of that running through everything. It’s not like a rhinestone western, it’s definitely a cowboy theme.”

It won’t be long before everyone is enjoying the cowboy feel of the music of Runaway June. Here are 10 things you need to know about the country trio before they hit it big.

The Group’s Origin Story Begins in a Nashville Writers Room

“We were instant friends in the writing room,” Naomi remembers. “When we met, and started writing together, all of us were like holy crap, this is something really cool.”

Once they felt the spark of musical chemistry, Naomi notes it didn’t take long for the songs to start flowing. “We wrote our first song within an hour, which is really rare, and we just knew immediately something was going to happen with us.”

 

They’re Honored By All The Dixie Chicks Comparisons

Being that Runaway June is a trio of women performing country music, everyone’s first point of reference when describing them is the Dixie Chicks. According to Hannah, “Every time we get that comparison it’s a big honor.”

She adds that while Runaway June differs from the Dixie Chicks in a number of ways, “All three of us grew up listening to the Dixie Chicks, so in whatever way they did, they’ve shaped us.”

 

Their debut single, “Lipstick,” is for Anyone Who’s Looked for Love

On “Lipstick,” Runaway June implores the listener to love someone who “ruins your lipstick, not your mascara.” It’s a message they feel is universal, as Jennifer explains, “We’ve all been there. We’ve all had relationships not work, and we just really wanted to write a positive song about being with someone who makes you happy. It’s for everybody. It’s a good, positive, message.”

 

They’re Wildly Unique Individuals

Jennifer explains the unique personality of each member of the trio, saying, “I’m kind of like the mama bear of the group. Naomi is kind of like the spitfire, firecracker. Hannah is like the earth mama. She loves nature. She’s a vegan. She’s the hippie of the group.”

Hannah Hiked All 220 Miles of The John Muir Trail in California

Over the course of 25 days, Hannah and her boyfriend, equipped with only what they could carry on their backs, hiked the entirety of the 220 mile John Muir Trail in California. Hannah calls the experience, “One of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my whole life.”

The trail comes to its conclusion in Yosemite Valley, and when Hannah and her boyfriend arrived they had one thing on their mind: food.

“We kept fantasizing about going to The Ahwahnee, which is like the fanciest hotel in Yosemite. It’s a luxury resort, and coming off of 25 days on the trail we were like, man, we really want to go do the breakfast buffet at The Ahwahnee, but we didn’t think they would let us in. So my mom met us there. We had a bunch of baby wipes, and just wiped our whole bodies down in baby wipes so they would let us into the buffet.”

 

Jennifer is Related to John Wayne

The trio that makes country music with a cowboy feel has a direct relation to one of the greatest cowboy icons of all time, as Jennifer is the granddaughter of John Wayne. “He passed before I was born,” Jennifer says of her grandfather, “I missed him by a couple years, but I get lots of stories. My grandma’s still alive, and I feel like I almost know more about him because I’ve asked so many questions since I didn’t get to meet him.”

 

Garth Brooks Made Sure They Had a Huge Audience

“We opened an arena show for him in Memphis,” Naomi remembers, “and normally for a show like that you play as people are coming in and sitting down. His tour manager came to our dressing room before we were supposed to go on, and said Garth wanted us to wait another 25 minutes for the stadium to fill up. NOBODY does that for their opener. Maybe some people do, but it’s rare. So we played to almost as many people as he did, just because he wanted us to get as much exposure as we could.”

Opening for Willie Nelson was a Career “High”

“The whole parking lot smelled like weed,” Hannah says with a laugh. “The first day we pulled up there in the Uber we were like, ‘Yeah, this is a Willie show.’”

Jennifer was a Tennis Pro

With a father who was a tennis pro, and an array of other family members who were also tennis pros, Jennifer jokes, “I kind of was born with a racket in my hand.” Music, however, won out, as she notes, “I played tennis up until college, and I played a couple pro tournaments, but I really love music, so I moved to Nashville. My dad was shaky about it at first, because I had a really good job with tennis, but it all worked out.”

An Album is On the Way

The trio is in the process of finishing up their debut album, which they hope to release this fall.

 

Learn more fun facts about your favorite up-and-coming artists by visiting our 10 Things page.

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