“It was an unbelievable feeling getting the Platinum Ticket,” she told Parade.com. “I was so blessed. I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a little girl, and I feel like the judges believed in me. It meant everything to me.” Of course, there’s the added pressure of living up to the judges’ expectations as a Platinum Ticket winner and maybe a little bit of having a target on her back where the other contestants are concerned. Still, she remembers her astonishment when Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie showed up at LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE Food + Drink in Nashville, where she was performing, to surprise her. After all, she already had the Gold Ticket to Hollywood. “I had no idea what was going to happen,” she said. “All they told me was I was going to play at Luke’s bar. And so, when they walked in, that was a genuine reaction. I was about to lose my mind. I was so thankful, I started crying. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh! I’m crying on national television,’ but it’s been a beautiful feeling.” Another beautiful feeling came when Luke commented that HunterGirl has the best female country voice he’s heard in all five years he’s been a judge on American Idol. “That’s crazy,” she admitted. “He’s been a huge advocate for me, cheering me on. I can’t explain how much that means to me. Little Hunter would lose her mind thinking that Luke Bryan said that, so it’s a full circle for me.” And in keeping with the beautiful theme, now that she’s made the Top 10, HunterGirl is getting the glam treatment from the American Idol makeup and hair and costume departments, which she says has been another boost to her self-assurance. “I have never been in any of these kinds of clothes or done anything like this,” she said, dressed in the silver-fringed jacket she wore to perform Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” “It almost feels like armor going in. Yesterday when I looked in the mirror, I was like, ‘Who’s that?’ I never felt that way about myself. It gives me confidence going in. I feel like I’m getting close to the person I want to be.” It is a little bit of a surprise to hear that because HunterGirl’s been performing since she was 14 years old— she’s 23 right now—with her mom and dad driving her to a variety of performances. “When I started playing shows, I was actually a bass player and I was singing in a band,” she recalled. “I remember traveling around and doing that, and I remember singing in church with my grandfather. He’s a preacher and so I definitely remember us singing together. It’s really cool to get my grandpa texting me and saying, ‘It’s so cool to see you on TV’ It means everything to me.” HunterGirl has performed both original songs and cover songs to get into the Top 10, and she says her plan is to continue balancing the two depending on the week. “We have certain themes that go throughout, but I want to play as much original music as possible. I think that’s the way that I get to show who I am as an artist and as a person. I want to write songs for the people that need them, and that’s my main thing that I live by. I think a lot of people need some songs right now.” And she should know. When not performing, she works with veterans doing music therapy and writing songs with them based on their experiences in the war. She works with groups like Freedom Sings USA, Operation Song and more. But she also makes time for her own songs. “Sometimes it just hits me,” she explained. “In my notes app on my phone, there’s so many ideas. It comes from somebody saying something or having a moment and I’m like, ‘OK, that would be a good song title.’ I think you can find creative writing in anything that you do. That’s how I do it anyway.” American Idol has had several women find success in country music following their time on the show. Of course, there’s Carrie Underwood, who won the fourth season, but more recently there’s Gabby Barrett, who finished third during season one on ABC. “I am proud to be a woman in country music. I want little girls to say, ‘Hey, I could do this one day.’ I want them to chase their dreams. I looked up to Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire. And whenever I was little, I was like, ‘I want to be like them.’ It’s crazy to think being on this show and getting to sing these songs, some little girl might say, ‘Maybe I could do that, too.’ And that means everything.” American Idol airs Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Next,American Idol’s Mike Parker on Finding Success as a Black Country Singer
