HunterGirl, the American Idol season 20 runner-up, said that she is "so excited for the future" after her incredible journey on the show. The 23-year-old country singer, who is originally from Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee, came in second to Noah Thompson during the May 22 finale. At the beginning of the competition, she received a platinum ticket from judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan after her impressive audition with Rascal Flatts' song "Riot." From that moment on, HunterGirl established herself as an authentic country artist. In addition to her stellar performances of country classics such as "Baby Girl" by Sugarland (Top 14), "9 To 5" by Dolly Parton (Top 11), "Like My Mother Does" by Lauren Alaina (Top 7), "Undo It" by Carrie Underwood (Top 5) and "Girl Crush" by Little Big Town (Top 5), HunterGirl sang her original song "Heartbreak Down" for the Top 20 week. The song solidified her status as a frontrunner in the competition and skyrocketed up the music charts.
During the American Idol finale, HunterGirl continued to showcase her extraordinary vocals and artistry. For the first round, her rousing rendition of "Dancing In The Dark" by Bruce Springsteen energized the crowd and got everyone up on their feet. In the second round, HunterGirl sang her touching single, "Red Bird," a song that she wrote about the spiritual experience of believing that when a cardinal appears, it is really a family member in heaven coming down to visit. For her final performance on the show, HunterGirl reprised her audition song of "Riot," demonstrating how far she had come as an artist since the early days of the American Idol competition.
As her American Idol journey comes to an end, HunterGirl shared in a post on Instagram that she is "so excited for the future" and that she will always remember her time on the show. She began the post by saying that this year has been "a wild ride" and that she has grown so much as a person. HunterGirl said, "I am blessed that I got to have this crazy experience with people that I love and care about." And her "crazy experience" is already continuing after American Idol. In a separate post, HunterGirl shared that her single reached the top of the charts, writing, "Red Bird is #1 All Genre. Y’all are wild!! Thank you so much."
In her original Instagram post, HunterGirl went on to express her gratitude toward all of the people who were involved in her American Idol experience. She wrote, "Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. Thank you to everyone on the team here at @americanidol for believing in me." HunterGirl continued by saying, "Thank you to God for having a plan for me greater than I could’ve ever imagined." She concluded the post with a gracious message to American Idol winner Noah, writing, "Also huge congratulations to one of my best friends @noahthompsonmusic. I am so proud of you!!!"
HunterGirl was a pleasure to watch throughout American Idol season 20. She established herself as a country artist with a heart of gold from the first note that she sang and stayed true to herself throughout the competition. Whether she was showing her vulnerable side in her performance of "I See The Light" from Disney's Tangled or rocking out to a Bruce Springsteen song, she always delighted fans with her ability to connect with them on stage. As her American Idol journey comes to an end, HunterGirl has an exciting future ahead of her. This is only the beginning.
Sources: HunterGirl/Instagram, HunterGirl/Instagram