Runaway June Share What They Learned From Carrie Underwood on Cry Pretty Tour 360

Runaway June joined Carrie Underwood on her Cry Pretty Tour 360 this year, watching the Grammy winner each night as she performed on one of the most complex stages in touring. Along with Underwood’s performance prowess, Runaway June shared that they learned a lot about multitasking from the star, whose two sons were on the road with her along with her husband, Mike Fisher.

“For us, just seeing her out there as a mom — knowing that we’re three women, and we all want to have families one day — it’s so nice to see that that’s possible,” group member Jennifer Wayne told PopCulture.com at the SESAC Awards in Nashville this week. “She’s got her family out there. She performs every night. She does everything. She’s a mom, a wife, a philanthropist…She works so hard, and it’s great to learn from her in that way.”

“It’s just nice to see that and say, ‘Okay, that’s a great example for us,’” Wayne continued. “She sets the bar. So great to learn from her in that way.”

“She’s our generation’s Dolly Parton,” Naomi Cooke added.

The trio also admitted that they’re smitten with Underwood’s two sons, 4-year-old Isaiah and 9-month-old Jacob.

“Don’t start talking about their babies because we’ll start crying,” Hannah Mulholland said. “We miss them so much.”

“If I think about Isaiah, I’ll cry because I miss him so much,” Wayne added.

At the awards, the trio was honored for co-writing their recent single “Buy My Own Drinks,” each member sporting a new medal to honor their achievement.

“I think at the core that’s what we are,” Wayne said of the group’s role as songwriters as well as performers. “That’s how we became a band. We were all songwriters. We met in the writing room and songwriters are the foundation of the songs. So it’s really an honor to be here celebrating them and getting to wear this little thing around our neck.”

“The songwriting community embraced each of us way before we had record deals, way before we were a band, and so it’s very important for us to come and be a part of these celebrations and show our appreciation to that because without songs, without songwriters and none of this even exists,” Cooke added. “It’s an incredible feeling that we’re off the road during this time and that we get to be a part of it and that we’re being honored by SESAC. It feels really good to remember that we’re songwriters first.”

Photo Credit: Getty / John Shearer