Runaway June ‘Really Looking Forward’ to Touring With ‘Inclusive Superstar’ Luke Bryan (Exclusive)

Though they’re currently off the road due to the coronavirus, Runaway June was scheduled to be on tour this summer with Luke Bryan, joining the country star on his Proud to Be Right Here Tour. “We’re still super excited,” lead singer Naomi Cooke told PopCulture.com of the tour, which has been rescheduled for 2021.

“Luke is wonderful and he’s so fun,” she continued. “And we’ve met him a couple of times and got to spend some time with him, and he’s just the sweetest, happy-go-lucky, inclusive superstar of a guy, and we’re really looking forward to that. I really hope that it happens.”

Band member Jennifer Wayne jokingly added to PEOPLE that she and her bandmates are “preparing our livers a year ahead. I’m working on my golf game.” On a more serious note, Wayne shared that she is excited to learn from the “superstar.” “It’s crazy. Last year, we were on the road with Carrie Underwood. How do we beat that?” she noted. “And then Luke Bryan’s like, ‘Oh!’ We’re like, ‘Okay, en par!’”

“Luke is renowned for just having the funnest shows,” Cooke shared. “And we’re just so excited to be a part of that. He’s one of the best entertainers that there is, and just one of the best people that there is. And everyone in our genre looks up to him. And God, I can’t wait to play shows, but to be opening for Luke Bryan and to play for his fans. There’s a deep bag of things we’re excited about.”

Runaway June joined Underwood on her Cry Pretty Tour 360 in 2019 with original band member Hannah Mulholland, and Bryan’s tour would have been the group’s live debut with new member Natalie Stovall, who joined Runaway June earlier this year.

“We’re all dreamers and have been working really, really hard to make music that matters to people,” Stovall told PopCulture.com of her transition into the group. “And for me, I had been doing that for so long and it’s just not quite hit ever. And then when the girls came to me and asked me if I would consider being a part of this, just everything felt very strongly. In my gut, my intuition, everything said, ‘This is your next step. This is what you’re meant to do.’ And it’s just all fallen into place in a much more seamless way than I could have ever imagined. It’s been a really beautiful transition in the midst of the very crazy time.”

Runaway June’s current single, “We Were Rich,” is currently at No. 45 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and the trio is preparing to release a holiday EP this month.