HUNTER
I instantly fell in love with HUNTER and her music. Hello: my Name Is HUNTER is a feel good project and I’m here for it. It represents everything I love in music. It’s soulful, uplifting, colorful, fun, catchy, honest and it is incredibly well produced. HUNTER also delivers incredible vocals. The opening track “Be Mine” made me want to keep listening to the whole project. This song reminds me of those r&b/pop records from the early 2000s with a modern twist. That’s how I would describe this whole project. It feels nostalgic and refreshing at the same time. It’s a must listen.
Go stream Hello: my Name Is HUNTER now !!
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hello! My name is HUNTER. I’m a soul singer from Montana. I’ve been singing since I was a kid. I started in music class, then onto choirs and musical theater clubs, I put together my first band in high school…then I went to LA for the first time for American Idol, which made me want to study music in Los Angeles. I went to college in LA and started working the moment I got to town. Over the last decade, I’ve been writing and performing my own songs, singing with other artists like Willie Nelson and his son Lukas Nelson, I’ve performed on CONAN and played a sold out show with Willie at the Hollywood Bowl. I’ve built up a big resume and this year I was finally ready to release my own album, called “Hello: My Name is HUNTER,’ available to stream everywhere.
When did you start singing? When did you know you could sing?
My mom says I was singing on the baby monitor before I could talk. Haha so I guess I started pretty early. It wasn’t until my family moved from Michigan to Montana that I really started honing in on my singing. I transferred to a super small school, so small that every student was required to audition for the annual musical. I ended up auditioning and getting the lead, and it was love at first sight. I fell in love with performing and I have been singing ever since.
Growing up, what were your favorite songs to sing along to?
Good question. Okay, I’ll try to narrow it down…I loved all of The Beach Boys songs. Like ‘Barbra Ann’ and ‘Kokomo.’ I was obsessed with Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. ’For Once In My Life’ was the first Stevie song I ever learned. My dad would put on Stevie’s ‘Hotter Than July’ album on the record player and I’d sing along over and over. I would also listen to NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys on repeat, ‘I Want it That Way’ was my JAM as a kid. In high school when Adele released her first album, I was equally obsessed with her. I still know all of the words and all the harmonies to every song on that record.
What gave you the confidence to be an artist and release your original music?
I think it was the notion that everyone is given some sort of gift, right? That’s what they say anyway, and what I was always best at was singing. I don’t think I ever made a choice to sing, it was just so obvious that singing was my gift and I was supposed to use it and make magic with it.
My Name Is HUNTER is your debut record - how do people respond to this project so far?
I am floored at the positive response. Floored. As a new, indie artist, I was hoping for 10-15k streams on the album with some mixed feedback. And I would have been so happy with that. Today, less than a month after the release, I have 230,500 streams on Spotify alone. My songs have made it on thousands of playlists already. My song ‘Closer’ ended up being a ‘what’s next artist’ feature pick on the latest album release from the popular Now That’s What I Call Music. My song ‘Messin With My Heart’ was placed in a major motion picture that will be premiering next year. 5 of my songs will be playing on airlines. I am overjoyed and so, so surprised and grateful.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this record? Who helped you create it? When did you start working on it?
This album truly took a village. No pun intended, as I recorded the majority of the songs at The Village Studios in Los Angeles. I started writing it like 5-6 years ago. I tried making the album with a label I was briefly with back in 2017, but the label wasn’t bringing the skills I needed to the table to get it done. So I got out of my contract and went indie with it. I had no money, but I had the songs. I told John Alagia about it, and he offered to be my executive producer and make it with me. John was my guiding light alongside my other fabulous coproducer, Jesse Siebenberg. They both went above and beyond with their time and talent and took my songs to where they needed to be. We had a different process for every song. Sometimes I would come to them with a fully written song and they would plug in appropriate production, some songs would be half written and they would help me fill in the blanks. I also had a handful of super talented cowriters that helped me write my lyrics like David Ryan Harris, Nash Overstreet, and Otis McDonald. It was ready to go in 2020, but then the pandemic hit so I sat on the songs for two years until everything settled down in the world. And the album is finally out and I’m so happy!
What different topics are you talking about on this project?
I really like to keep my listeners in mind when I write my lyrics. I always want my songs to be relatable, so with this album I went with universal topics from the human experience that everyone can connect to; like breaking up with someone you love, having a crush on someone at the office, falling for someone and wanting to be closer to them.
Any favorite moments from the making of this record? Any challenges?
One of my favorite moments was the first day we went in to record my master vocals. I had the whole team there, at The Village Studios, in John’s old studio room there. And the vibe was so magical and positive. One of my goals while making the album was to make sure that everyone on the team enjoyed what we were doing and enjoyed the experience of it all in general. Now, of course there are bits and bobs of frustration and panic woven along the way, but overall I think it was a really positive, uplifting, inclusive experience for everyone.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
So the artwork was shot by my new favorite photographer, mister SHAYAN ASGHARNIA. He’s incredible and has shot so many major artists, so it was a real honor that he made the time for little me. He really came through and pulled out all the stops for the cover. I had the original concept idea years and years ago, long before I even started writing the album. I had a vision that came out of nowhere, one night when I was staying at my parent’s house, of me standing like a boss with a ‘Hello: My Name is’ sticker on my blazer. I thought to myself ‘Hey, that could be a cool album cover.’ I tried to conceptualize other ideas for the cover, but nothing topped it. So I went with my gut and I’m so glad I did.
What does songwriting make you feel?
It makes me feel human. Writing a song is one of the few moments in my life where I get to sit down, hear myself think, and feel through my emotions. I was raised to be strong and keep a smile on, so songwriting for me became very liberating. It makes me feel connected to my emotions, which for me is sometimes very hard to do. Writing has also been a teacher to me, it has shown me how to release emotions, how to speak to others about the human experience, and connect.
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What message do you want to give to women out there?
WOMEN: YOU CAN DO IT !! You can! And when the going gets tough, don’t forget about all of your female peers and predecessors in the industry who have traveled the road already and have your back. Lean on your ladies, and don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance along the way. If a man can do it, so can we and we’ll probably do it better. So just go for it.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I would change the financial system in the music industry. It’s so sad; there are hundreds of thousands of artists out there with really beautiful songs, but because payout for streams is so low and there isn’t a strong business model to make real money in the industry, too many artists can’t continue and fall off the map. We need to pay our artists, period, but also we need to pay them the wages they need to make a decent living. With where things are at now with our current streaming giants, you have to have a million streams on a song to make minimum wage. There needs to be some sort of balance so everyone can have a piece of the pie.
What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Releasing this project. 100%. Releasing an album has always been at the top of my list, and I can finally check off that box.
What advice would you give to artists out there?
There is no right way to make music. There is no right way to climb up the music industry ladder. There is also no one like you and your talent. My advice: Figure out your own path, stay on the course and be patient, and stay authentic to your talent and who you are. If you remain authentic to who you are, then your songs and artistry remain original. You can’t mess up.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Therapy for all, good music, and acting from a place of love and empathy.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Learning to run into the dark when you can’t see. I have really intense anxiety and depression, so I am very easily scared into not doing something. Mostly from fear; of the unknown, not knowing how things will turn out, fear of failure, fear of letting someone down. Those fears are constantly running through my head and if I listened to them, I wouldn’t go anywhere or do anything. I had to practice and teach myself to be fearless and run into the unknown anyway, even if I can’t see the outcome ahead.
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