HunterGirl Opens Up About How A 'Wild' Journey Reignited A 'Spark'

HunterGirl takes listeners on her “wild” journey with her newest single.

The 2024 CMT Next Women of Country artist and former American Idol runner-up, 27, debuted “Somewhere Wild” on Friday (January 9). She teamed up with songwriters Jeff Garrison and Bob DiPiero to bring the anthem to life. It sets the scene of “shifting light through trees” and a “cinematic sweep of open country,” with its Dobro and pedal steel, per a press release announcing the song’s debut. The release notes that HunterGirl’s vocals offer “both grit and vulnerability” as she reminds listeners that “somewhere out there is the place that sets your soul back on fire.”

“‘Somewhere Wild’ was a song that just fell out in the writing room,” HunterGirl recalled in a statement. “It was exactly where my heart was at the beginning of this year. When I was little, my Grandpa had a place by the creek he called The Wilderness. He made it magical. You had to say The Wilderness three times before running through the woods with my sister and cousins, and for a moment it felt like anything could happen.

“As you get older, those words, ‘anything can happen,’ start to mean something very different. The unknown becomes a scary place to be. This year I felt like I was back in The Wilderness, but this time I was lost in it,” the Winchester, Tennessee-born country star admitted. “‘Somewhere Wild’ became my way back. It was a journey of finding myself again and reigniting that spark of endless possibility. It is a reminder that it is never too late to grow, and that sometimes being lost is what leads you home.”

HunterGirl, whose real name is Hunter Wolkonowski, previously debuted “Dirt,” a song that she described as “my childhood in three minutes.” She spoke with iHeartCountry about the storytelling song, sharing that it helped her feel “re-centered.” She said “I hope people feel that, too. With the music coming after this, I feel like I’ve finally stepped into my most authentic self. I put my boots on and stand ten toes down in who I am. …Keep your eyes and ears open. There may be new music sooner than you think.”

Listen to “Somewhere Wild” here: