HunterGirl has proven her songwriting chops from the very beginning of her career. While most contestants on American Idol stick to winning over voters with covers of hit songs, HunterGirl decided to compete with some of her self-penned tracks. Though she became runner-up during her season, the original songs she performed while on the show primed her for a lucrative career in Nashville.
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Since her Idol stint, HunterGirl has been further honing her craft. American Songwriter sat down with the Tennessee native to glean some advice from the burgeoning singer-songwriter.
[RELATED: HunterGirl: “I Want to Make Music That Means Something”]
American Songwriter: When did you first get started in songwriting? Do you remember the very first song you wrote?
HunterGirl: Oh gosh, it was awful. The first song I ever wrote was called “Knight in Shining Armor.” My mom has a bit of it on YouTube. Please do not look that up. But, I started writing songs just about stuff that would come up around the house. When I was three, I’d be going to get some orange juice and make up a song about it.
AS: Was there any particular inspiration behind “Knight in Shining Armor?”
HG: Oh lord, I think it was a crush either on a guy in class or a fictional person I read a book about.
AS: What inspires you now? How do you find songwriting inspiration?
HG: I think being around people. When I get into those writing slumps where I don’t know what I’m gonna write about, I think it means that I need to live a little more. I think I also listen to people talk and share their experiences. I think I get a lot from other people.
AS: Do you know in a writing session if a song is going to work and you want to release it? Or does it take time or surprise you?
HG: Honestly, it surprises me a good bit. The songs that I have actually cut and released are the ones where I’m like, “Nobody’s gonna like this one.” It’s usually because it’s so personal. I think “Is anybody gonna get this?”
AS: Are you someone with a very concerted writing process? Or are you constantly jotting down notes?
HG: I think it depends on the day. I’m very melody driven so I hum stuff throughout the day. My “Voice Memos” is a travesty. It’s awful. I think have like 5000. So I have to search through it, but I do melody first a lot of the time. Then I’ll write down ideas [for lyrics] in my notes.
AS: Who would you say is your biggest songwriting inspiration?
HG: My biggest songwriting inspiration is Dolly Parton for sure. I grew up in Southeast Tennessee, five minutes from my [grandparents] house. Every time I went in that house, Dolly was blasting on the radio. Every Christmas we’d get a ticket to Dollywood. It was Dolly Parton that I wanted to be as a kid – as a songwriter and a businesswoman, but also as a person because of the way she helps people and touches people.
AS: What is the best bit of Songwriting advice you’ve ever been given?
HG: I think the best songwriting advice that I’ve ever been given actually came from someone who wasn’t a songwriter. It was a veteran [that I wrote with]. I was sitting there trying to write the song and I thought, “I don’t know how to make this work.” I remember the veteran completely opened up and we were both crying. It really changed the way I looked at songwriting. It doesn’t matter if it all rhymes and it doesn’t matter if it is tied pretty with a bow. It only matters if it makes somebody feel something.
Watch our full interview with HunterGirl, below.
Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
