Runaway June

Biography

Runaway June is an American country music group consisting of Stevie Woodward (lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica, autoharp), Jennifer Wayne (guitar, vocals), and Natalie Stovall (guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, vocals). Wayne co-founded the group in 2015 with Hannah Mulholland (mandolin, vocals) and Naomi Cooke (lead vocals). Wayne was a former member of Stealing Angels and had co-written singles for other singers prior to the group's foundation. Signed to BBR Music Group's Wheelhouse imprint in 2015, the group charted two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts prior to their breakthrough hit "Buy My Own Drinks" in 2018. This was the first of three singles from their 2019 studio album Blue Roses. Mulholland quit the group in 2020 and was replaced by Natalie Stovall, former lead singer of Natalie Stovall and the Drive; Cooke quit in 2022 and was replaced by Stevie Woodward.

Background

Jennifer Wayne, a granddaughter of John Wayne, grew up in Southern California, and Hannah Mulholland grew up in Los Angeles, California, while Naomi Cooke is from Cedar Key, Florida. Cooke co-wrote Tyler Farr's top 40 hit "Better in Boots". Wayne was originally a member of the group Stealing Angels, and co-wrote Eric Paslay's top 20 hit "She Don't Love You" and Keith Urban's 2021 hit "Wild Hearts". Under this lineup, Cooke was the lead vocalist, Mulholland was the low harmony vocalist and mandolin player, and Wayne was the high harmony vocalist and guitar player.
The three met in Nashville and wrote their debut single "Lipstick" with assistance from Rebecca Lynn Howard, Caroline Hobby (former member of Stealing Angels), and Elisha Hoffman. The song was released in 2016 via Broken Bow Records' Wheelhouse Records imprint. An uncredited review from Taste of Country praised the "original premise" and vocal harmonies. They released their self-titled debut EP in September 2018, which featured the singles "Wild West" and "Buy My Own Drinks".
The group was a supporting act for Carrie Underwood on her Cry Pretty Tour 360, which ran from May 1, 2019, to October 31, 2019, alongside Maddie & Tae. On May 23, 2019, the group announced their debut album Blue Roses, which was released on June 28, 2019. "Buy My Own Drinks", which served as the lead-off single, is included on the album alongside three other songs from their previous EP release. The album debuted at No. 36 on the Top Country Albums chart, and No. 2 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. After "Buy My Own Drinks", the band also charted two more singles from the album: "Head over Heels" and "We Were Rich".
On May 14, 2020, Mulholland announced her departure from the group. The following day, Cooke and Wayne confirmed that she was replaced by Natalie Stovall, former lead singer of Natalie Stovall and the Drive, who also plays fiddle. In February 2022, Naomi Cooke departed from the band; she was replaced by Stevie Woodward two months later.
In 2023, Runaway June signed with Quartz Hill Records and released "Make Me Wanna Smoke" as their first single under the new label.