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For Runaway June, the past few years have been a whirlwind of change, growth, and rediscovery\u2014and their brand-new album \u2018New Kind of Emotion’ captures every bit of it. Hailed by ourselves<\/a><\/em> as a triumphant reemergence (full album review here<\/a>) the project glimmers with modern country-pop polish while staying rooted in the trio\u2019s traditional influences of fiddle, mandolin, and pedal steel. From friendship anthems and girl-power barn burners to tender love songs and joyful odes to independence, the record embodies exactly what founding member Jennifer Wayne describes: \u201cEven the sad songs are fun!\u201d With 11 of the 13 tracks co-written by the band and five top-tier Nashville producers lending their talents, the result is a collection that feels both adventurous and authentically Runaway June.<\/p>\n The group\u2014Jennifer Wayne (vocals, rhythm guitar), Natalie Stovall (vocals, fiddle, mandolin), and Stevie Woodward (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica)\u2014poured three years of their lives into \u2018New Kind of Emotion,’ pulling from different stages, influences and stories along the way. Highlights include the Latin-inspired \u2018Drink Champagne,’ the heartfelt fiddle-led \u2018Come Home to Me,’ and the empowering \u2018Sad Girl,’ alongside the shimmering title track that\u2019s already making waves at country radio. As Stevie puts it, \u201cRunaway June are friends, and we want the listeners to also feel that girlhood, that sisterhood and for our male listeners too. We want people to know that they\u2019re not alone in whatever phase they\u2019re going through.\u201d With that energy in mind, the trio sat down with us to talk about the making of the album, the stories behind the songs, and why this chapter feels like their most joyful yet.<\/p>\n Thank you for your time on what I imagine is a terrifically busy release week! I was expecting \u2018New Kind of Emotion’ to be good but, blimey, not that good!!<\/strong><\/p>\n Stevie: That’s so nice, thank you for your lovely review!<\/p>\n Natalie: That review really boosted our spirits because we haven’t released the album yet so we haven’t really had any feedback as yet! <\/p>\n It’s been six years since the debut album \u2013 so much has happened to the world and the band in that time! This feels like a reset and re-invention. Is that how you three feel too?<\/p>\n Jennifer: Yeah \u2013 this album really, truly shows who we are. When Stevie joined the band we had so many dates already pre-booked that we just went out on the road and so it took a little while for us to actually write together and figure out who we were now. That’s kinda what took the time but once we locked into who we were, the flow started and we wrote this album over the last three years and we’re so proud of it.<\/p>\n Stevie joining the band seems to have given the band a real kick up the arse in some respects. Her vocals are so powerful, she’s got writing credits all over the place \u2013 did you know you were getting that from her when you brought her in?<\/strong><\/p>\n Natalie: I feel like we did. Jen and I became Instagram stalkers and anytime we heard someone singing we’re imagined what they would look like in the band! You’re also looking for chemistry and someone who you are going to write well with and you don’t necessarily know those things ahead of time but we had a really good feeling about Stevie\u2026\u2026.. and then we started writing together!! (laughing) <\/p>\n Our review states you’ve emerged bigger and bolder. What do those words mean to you in terms of the palette, the style and the performances?<\/strong><\/p>\n Stevie: I love that so much. We wanted to create something that felt genuine to who we are right now. I’m so glad it sounds that way to you because I think we were really able to hone in on what our strengths are as a group. We really took a lot of chances with this and went outside of our box a little bit \u2013 we hope everybody else feels the same way that you do!<\/p>\n Let’s start outside of that box with \u2018Drink Champagne’ then! Tell me about that song and where the Latin influences came from on it!<\/strong><\/p>\n Jennifer: That’s my favourite song on the album!<\/p>\n Natalie: Me too, Jen!<\/p>\n Jennifer: It started out just as a melody. We were in a management meeting and the label had been saying that they’d like a few more uptempo songs and I don’t know why but I just started singing this melody and Stevie grabbed a guitar and Natalie grabbed a fiddle and all of a sudden the meeting stopped! (laughing) It wasn’t meant to be Latin \u2013 it just came out that way. We’ve always wanted to do a song with a Latin singer or with that kind of feel \u2013 my Grandma is from Peru so she’s been bugging us for years to so a Spanish song!<\/p>\n Natalie: It’s such a fun song to play in the live shows. It starts and you can see people going, \u2018Ohh, what are they doing now?’ and then you can just see the crowd start dancing! (laughing) We started popping champagne before shows so it fits with our vibe too! (laughing)<\/p>\n