Singer is embarking on solo career
Runaway June lead vocalist Naomi Cooke Johnson has left the all female trio after seven years. The singer shared the news on social media on Wednesday (Feb 23rd), thanking her former bandmates for the time they’ve spent together.
“I am incredibly excited to officially be able to announce that I am taking a new musical journey as a solo artist, and I am beyond excited to share new stories and music with you,” she writes on Instagram. “It has been 7 wonderful years as the lead singer of Runaway June, and I am so grateful for the memories and time well spent with my bandmates, Hannah, Jen and Natalie. It has been extremely hard to keep quiet about what I’ve been up to, and I cannot wait to share everything with you all very soon!! I miss you guys so much, and can’t wait to see y’all out on the road. I love you guys so much I could burst.”
Cooke Johnson is the second original member to leave the group following the May 2020 departure of founding member Hannah Mulholland. Mulholland announced that she was leaving the trio after five years and one album together. She has since focused on designing art in her own studio.
A day later, Cooke Johnson and co-founder Jennifer Wayne announced that Natalie Stovall would complete the trio. The group has since released a Christmas EP and Backstory EP featuring intoxicating vocals, seamlessly rich harmonies and fervent western bluegrass.
No word on if Wayne and Stovall will continue the trio. Wayne recently shared “Forever Now,” a song she penned and co-sings with her husband Austin Moody that Tony Brown produced as a wedding gift to the couple.
“So excited to share this song with y’all!! It’s a song I wrote by myself telling my story… I’ve always been afraid to settle down until I met the right one… then I knew in an instant :)” she shares on Instagram. “The legendary @tbmusicproducer produced it as a duet for us as a wedding present… the most incredible gift we could have ever asked for! And what happened that day was magic. Music is such a gift and @theaustinmoody and I so happy to share our little love song with y’all.”
The couple also recently announced that they’re expecting their first child later this year.
Since Cooke, Mulholland and Wayne formed Runaway June seven years ago, the trio have scored major tours with some of the biggest names and icons in music including supporting Carrie Underwood on the Cry Pretty Tour 360 and Luke Bryan’s Proud To Be Right Here Tour, to name a few.
