American Idol season 20 finalist HunterGirl is helping veterans, and it's time to explain how she's doing it. She is an extraordinary country singer, musician and songwriter (and a frontrunner to win the competition since her Nashville audition), as well as a music therapist who works with veterans to turn their war experiences into songs. Twenty-three-year-old HunterGirl, whose full name is Hunter Wolkonowski, is originally from Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee. During her audition, she impressed the judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan so much that they awarded her one of the three platinum tickets of the season. Since then, she has continued to dazzle the judges and the audience with her music, performing like a professional singer on the American Idol stage.
During the American Idol Top 20 round, HunterGirl sang her original song, "Heartbreak Down," which began climbing the charts after the show aired. During that episode, she opened up about her experiences working with veterans, explaining that she comes from a military family, including her grandfather, great-grandfather, and six great uncles. She shared that the further that she gets in the American Idol competition, "the more I think about the people back home that I'm doing this for." HunterGirl said that the first time that she ever wrote a song with a veteran, she knew that her life was changed forever. She called the experience "really special," and cried as she said that she wished she could have written a song for her grandpa. HunterGirl said that songwriting is a huge part of her life, and she thinks that "sharing your life with people can help them through theirs. And so, that's what I'm dedicating my life to . . . singing songs for the people that need them."
According to HunterGirl's huntergirlsmusic website, before she was an American Idol contestant, she worked as a music therapist with many veteran organizations, such as Freedom Sings USA, Operation Song, Middle Tennessee State University, Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veteran Center, and Soldier’s Child. In an interview with Insider, HunterGirl explained the process of transforming the veterans' stories into songs. She said, "I go into a room with a veteran and they talk about what they went through. We go record it in a studio and at the end, they have that song forever." American Idol aired some footage of HunterGirl working with a veteran, in which she asked him what he wanted people to know about him when they hear his song. He responded by saying that he wanted them to know that "that experience turned me into the person I am."
Before HunterGirl began her American Idol journey, she worked with the veterans at Freedom Sings USA on a weekly basis, something that she is really passionate about. She also started the organization's "Trailblazers" class, which is a weekly, all-women veterans' songwriting class. HunterGirl revealed that her outlook on music completely changed when she started working with veterans. She explained that her songwriting process became more selfless as she shifted her focus to them. She said, "First, in your head, you're like, 'Am I singing this song right?' or 'Is it good enough?' talking about yourself. My outlook changed to be, 'What song's gonna help them?'" HunterGirl believes that the point of music is to make people feel something, and that it never has to be perfect. When asked if she will keep working with veterans after the American Idol competition, she replied, "I'll do this for the rest of my life."
HunterGirl is a talented singer, musician, and songwriter, but, more importantly, she has a heart of gold. The warmth that exudes from her as she performs on stage comes from her appreciation for her experiences. Her work with veterans has given her an understanding of how music has the power to heal and inspire people. Whether or not HunterGirl wins American Idol, she has won the heart of America.
Sources: huntergirlsmusic, Insider