HunterGirl entered the American Idol competition as a frontrunner from the start.
She was one of three Platinum Ticket holders, and while Jay Copeland made it far in the competition, Kenedi Anderson quit before fan voting began. HunterGirl rode the ticket all the way to the finals.
However, she finished in second place, with Noah Thompson winning it all behind his humble personality and small-town story.
However, HunterGirl is already looking ahead to her musical career and she has a new single called Red Bird that has a special message for her.
HunterGirl talks Red Bird single after American Idol
The American Idol top 7 all got to record original songs with a professional production team. For HunterGirl, the song was Red Bird and she performed it in the finale.
It had Luke Bryan wiping tears and proving that the future is bright for HunterGirl after American Idol.
Red Bird hit No. 9 on the iTunes charts and has been rising since she performed it on American Idol.
“When I was little, my mom always told me if I saw a red bird, it was a sign from Heaven that someone is looking down on you,” HunterGirl explained in an interview with TV Insider.
She said that she watched the first episode of American Idol at a watch party and she was scared that people were not going to like her or that they would think she sounded bad.
“I was talking to God on the way home. I was like, ‘Can you let me know it’s going to be okay?’ A red bird flew in front of my window when I was driving down the road.”
She said that she got the idea for the song at that moment, and she hoped that the message could reach people.
“The reason I do music is to help other people. It’s why I work with veterans,” HunterGirl said. “I was so happy to sing that song on television because there may have been somebody sitting at home missing someone who passed away and needed a reminder that they were still there.”
HunterGirl on what is next after American Idol
HunterGirl said while competing on American Idol that she wanted to keep working with veterans and would do that for the rest of her life.
However, she clearly has a musical career ahead of her as well.
“I want to put out new music. I want to go out on tour. I want to sing songs,” HunterGirl said in the interview. “I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me through this entire year. I want to hear my song on the radio. I would love to play the Opry one day. Doing all these things I’ve dreamed of my entire life.”
American Idol is on hiatus. The singing reality competition series will return in 2023 to ABC.