Runaway June Say The Chicks ‘Kicked the Door Down All the Way’ (Exclusive)

When their single “Buy My Own Drinks” hit the Top 5 in 2019, Runaway June became the first female trio or group since The Chicks in 2003 to hit the top five on the Mediabase Country chart, an achievement Runaway June credits to The Chicks’ own fearless entry into country music over 20 years ago.

“We’re the biggest Chicks fans you’ll ever find. I have three of their records on my iTunes,” group member Naomi Cooke told PopCulture.com, adding that she and bandmates Jennifer Wayne and Natalie Stovall grew up listening to The Chicks. “They were so inspirational for us as young artists and songwriters and women,” she said. “And they made it possible for a female trio to go as far as we want. They really kicked the door down all the way. They are still globally famous, and there’s a global appeal to that music because of them. So we feel like we have a much broader road and a bigger audience that’s accepting of this because of that. And we’re huge fans.”

Runaway June released the band’s first single, “Lipstick,” in 2016, following with an EP before their debut album, Blue Roses, in 2019. The trio is currently promoting the current single “We Were Rich” on the heels of their success with “Buy My Own Drinks,” which reached a peak of No. 8 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making it the first time a female trio had done so since SHeDAISY in 2005.

“It’s such an honor, but it’s also so sad that it’s taken that long for three female voices to be on the radio together,” Wayne noted. “So I just feel like if we can break through some barriers and open doors for new artists behind us, then we’re in such a great spot to be in country music, where other people have broken down doors for us, and now hopefully we can do the same for someone else coming in behind us.”

Along with The Chicks, Runaway June also named Carrie Underwood, who they opened for on tour in 2019, as one of their female country music heroes. “Carrie, obviously, is our biggest inspiration,” Wayne shared. “Just to have someone that we’ve looked up to so much growing up and is an icon and is untouchable, for her to reach out to us, as helpful as that has been, it’s unbelievable.”