Every year there are those acts on American Idol that impress and force the judges to realize that they are seeing something special, different.
Huntergirl, also known as Hunter Wolkonowski, has a great story as well as a great voice. When she isn’t trying to make it big on the stage playing country tunes, she lives a normal life. Her 9-5 is working with veterans in music therapy. Hunter works to help them use music as an outlet to deal with their issues and pain.
However, after seeing her American Idol audition, it is clear that she is much more. From Winchester, Tennessee, the singer has that small-town look, sound, and personality. Opening things up with a strong Rascal Flatts tune. So, check out her rendition of Riot and see for yourself.
What a performance. The entire time, you can tell that Luke Bryan is excited. He was locked in from the beginning and his suspicions were confirmed after she started singing. He ran a lap around her after all three American Idol judges gave her a standing ovation.
Katy Perry said that Huntergirl’s voice “cuts like a knife.” And it really does. Bryan was so excited, he delivered some of the best compliments he could. He compared Hunter to Miranda Lambert, wrote Top-10 on her scorecard, and then hand-delivered her the golden ticket.
While the original performance was astounding, Bryan realized something. She was about half a step-down. Hunter wasn’t even in the right key for her voice and the song really. He made her tighten down on her capo and go up a bit. She starts strumming out those notes and all of a sudden… magic.
An American Idol star in the making I think. Her voice is powerful and effortless. What more could you want?
‘American Idol’ Judge Luke Bryan Was READY To Get Started
American Idol Season 20. That’s huge. It means a lot. And Luke Bryan understands that better than most. Clearly, his reaction to Huntergirl proves that he was ready to get things started in the new season. But, even before all of that, Bryan was hyping up the show and making sure fans knew how good things were about to get.
He made post after post. And ahead of the big premiere of the new season, he was sure to put out one last message. He said that the new season, “is gonna be AMAZING!” So, did y’all catch that episode? Huntergirl was just one of a few great artists in the opening episode.
After one episode, what do we think, Outsiders? Is Huntergirl the next big thing in country music? There have been a couple of other big names from the early seasons of American Idol that might be a blueprint. Of course, I’m talking Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. While those are high marks to compare someone to, Bryan started it with the Lambert talk.
