Pictured: Natalie Stovall, Naomi Cooke, Jennifer Wayne. Photo: CeCe Dawson
Naomi Cooke, lead singer of country trio Runaway June, has announced her exit from the group after seven years. She will pursue a solo career.
Cooke shared the news via Instagram, saying: “I am incredibly excited to officially be able to announce that I am taking a new musical journey as a solo artist, and I am beyond excited to share new stories and music with you. It has been 7 wonderful years as the lead singer of Runaway June, and I am so grateful for the memories and time well spent with my bandmates, Hannah [Mulholland], Jennifer [Wayne] and Natalie [Stovall].” She continues, “It has been extremely hard to keep quiet about what I’ve been up to, and I cannot wait to share everything with you all very soon!! I miss you guys so much, and can’t wait to see y’all out on the road. I love you guys so much I could burst.”
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Cooke, alongside original members Jennifer Wayne and Hannah Mulholland, who left the group in May of 2020, formed Runaway June in 2015 and signed with BBR Music Group’s Wheelhouse Records. Their debut project, Blue Roses, included their hit single “Buy My Own Drinks,” marking them as the first all-female trio to earn a Top 5 hit at country radio in over 16 years. The trio spent much of 2019 on the road opening for Carrie Underwood’s “Cry Pretty Tour 360” and were part of CRS’ New Faces of Country Music Class of 2020.
After Mulholland’s exit in 2020, it was announced that vocalist, fiddle player and songwriter Natalie Stovall would join the group. She previously fronted Natalie Stovall and the Drive, known for the 2014 single “Baby Come On With it.” Since then, the Cooke, Stovall and Wayne released the single “We Were Rich,” a five-track Christmas EP, another three-song EP Backstory, and joined Luke Bryan on his “Proud To Be Right Here Tour.”
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