Naomi Cooke Exits Runaway June, Announces Solo Career
Cooke announces departure, teases new project!
Naomi Cooke of Runaway June announced last week (Feb. 23) that she will be leaving the trio to start a “new musical journey” as a solo artist. The singer shared the news on social media, posting a photo of herself onstage with a letter to fans.
“I am incredibly excited to officially be able to announce that I am taking a new musical journey as a solo artist, and I am beyond excited to share new stories and music with you,” Cooke writes.
“It has been 7 wonderful years as the lead singer of Runaway June, and I am so grateful for the memories and time well spent with my bandmates, Hannah, Jen and Natalie. It has been extremely hard to keep quiet about what I’ve been up to, and I cannot wait to share everything with you all very soon!!”
Runaway June was founded in 2015 with Cooke, Jennifer Wayne and Hannah Mulholland as the original members. The group has released five singles, with their most successful being “Buy My Own Drinks,” which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. They released their debut album, Blue Roses, in 2019. Cooke’s departure marks the second member to leave the group, as Mulholland exited in 2020. She was replaced by singer and fiddle player Natalie Stovall, formerly of Natalie Stovall and the Drive.
The group, now consisting of Wayne and Stovall, has not announced if they will be adding a new member yet again. In an Instagram post featuring a photo of Stovall from Feb. 24, the group wrote they “cannot wait to get back on the road again.” When a fan in the comments asked if they would now be a duo, the band replied, “stay tuned.”
