Three years after rising to fame on “American Idol,” country singer-songwriter HunterGirl is living a life she only dreamed of before auditioning for season 20. And yet she’s never been more committed to staying true to her roots, telling EntertainmentNow that she feels “more like myself than I ever have.”
As the clock struck midnight on October 10, 2025, HunterGirl, 27, released her newest single, “Dirt.” The touching, catchy ode to her rural, rough-and-tumble Tennessee upbringing serves as a reminder to stay grounded as she reaches for the stars. “Out of all the roads you take in life,” she sings, “make sure that some of them are dirt.”
Country Superstars Including Luke Combs Celebrated HunterGirl’s Early Rough Cut of ‘Dirt’
HunterGirl said that in a moment when she was missing the comforts of home in January, the song “Dirt” just tumbled out of her, reminiscing about fishing, hunting and sweet Sunday morning chats with her dad.
Though she was nervous to share the song because it felt so personal, HunterGirl posted an acoustic version on TikTok and was blown away by the reaction.
“The response was overwhelming, so special,” she told EntertainmentNow. “I heard from, like, Luke Combs, Old Dominion — all these people that I’ve looked up to since I was in my teens.”
HunterGirl headed into the studio with her “awesome” producer, Trent Willmon, and they worked together on fine-tuning “Dirt,” she said, gushing, “He really knows how to listen to the band and the artist and really craft a special moment. I think you can feel that when you listen to it. The band was having a good time, I was too, and I feel like whenever I hear the song, I remember smiling in the studio. So I hope people smile when they hear it.”
HunterGirl Hit the Ground Running After ‘American Idol’
The last three years since “American Idol” have been a whirlwind for HunterGirl. After spending months in Los Angeles filming the show in 2022, she had to quickly figure out how to put her newfound notoriety to good use after the finale, on which she was named runner-up to winner Noah Thompson.
HunterGirl hit the ground running, saying “yes” to practically any invitation to perform, even before she’d scraped together a band to hit the road with her.
The quick thinking and sweat equity clearly worked. HunterGirl landed a record deal with BMG’s Wheelhouse (the very label she said she’d long hoped to sign with), opened for country megastar (and “American Idol” judge) Luke Bryan during his 2024 tour, was named to CMT’s coveted “Next Women of Country” Class of 2024, and became the first female country artist in over 30 years to independently write her debut radio single — “Ain’t About You.”
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s been so rewarding and so fun,” she told EntertainmentNow. “‘Idol’ felt like I was at the right place, at the right time for me. Getting to go through that was really special, obviously, and really hard, too. But I think anything that you want in life is going to be hard. It’s kind of choosing what kind of hard you want.”
HunterGirl’s Got Bigger Dreams to Chase Now & Bigger Stars in Her Contact List
Before “American Idol,” HunterGirl had already spent years pounding the pavement in Nashville, so she doesn’t take any ounce of success for granted, from her devoted fans to the celebs in her corner.
Asked to name the most famous person in her phone’s contacts, she adorably struggled with whether to name-drop Lainey Wilson or Ella Langley (whose 2024 song “Monsters” was penned by HunterGirl).
As for whom she’d love to collaborate with on music in the near future, she said, “Oh my gosh, so many. Luke Combs. Cody Johnson would be so cool. Obviously Ella (Langley).”
But HunterGirl didn’t hesitate when asked what her next big career goal is, immediately declaring, “Number one song. A number one song on the country charts.”
Until then, she said, “You know, I just want people to hear my songs. I want to be able to play on stages. I want to do what little Hunter wanted to do when she was a kid, and really live out this dream. And I’ve really got to do that. I’m very thankful for it, and I’m just going to keep on going. As long as people are listening, I’ll keep writing music.”
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