The Real Life Partners Of Runaway June
Runaway June is one of the hottest acts in country music. Reminiscent of the Chicks and Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt's collaborative album "Trio," Runaway June is a trio of women with their own "brand of harmony-drenched country-pop," per Rolling Stone. Comprised of vocalists Naomi Cooke, Jennifer Wayne, and Natalie Stovall (who replaced former member Hannah Mulholland) Runaway June delivers classic country music melodies with a modern twist of feminist undertones to their fans like their hit song "Buy My Own Drinks."
The group has been so successful that they were invited to tour with "American Idol" winner and country star Carrie Underwood on her Cry Pretty Tour 360 in 2019, reported Billboard. This was before the three had even released their debut album, "Blue Roses," later that same year. For their first studio album, Runaway June saw some success with the album claiming the number 36 spot on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, per Billboard. But even with their achievements in their professional lives, what's going on with the Runaway June ladies in their personal lives? Read on to find out!
Naomi Cooke is engaged to a familiar face
The Runaway June ladies are one of the more successful up-and-coming acts in the country music scene. And even with some hit songs and a hit debut studio album, "Blue Roses," Naomi Cooke, Jennifer Wayne, and Natalie Stovall have pretty good personal lives outside of their music as well.
Naomi Cooke is in a relationship with a fellow musician and a familiar face for any Vans Warped Tour fans. She got engaged to Boys Like Girls' frontman Martin Johnson in December 2020. Aside from his success as the frontman for Boys Like Girls, Johnson has also made a career writing songs for other artists like Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift, per MYP, and has started to release music under his own name.
Cooke posted a selfie of her and Johnson holding her bedazzled ring finger on Instagram with the caption "by the look of my nails, he surprised me." Prior to their engagement, the couple had been together for a year and a half. Now, fans are just waiting for Cooke and Johnson to tie the knot. And the pair might even perform some of their most well-known, hit songs at their wedding, too!
Jennifer Wayne's husband is also a musician
Cooke's bandmate Jennifer Wayne is also in a music-centric relationship. She married musician Austin Moody in a small, beach wedding with "western flair" in January 2021. Since Wayne grew up on a beach, it made sense to return to her roots for one of the biggest days of her life, but the two couldn't neglect the role that Nashville played in their relationship and the country lovers they are at heart. After Wayne and Moody's "cowboy/cowgirl-themed" nuptials, the couple told People that "we are both so excited to start a life and family together."
The interesting part about Wayne and Moody's relationship is that they owe it all to Wayne's bandmate, Natalie Stovall, per People. Stovall reconnected the two because of their love for dogs, and the rest is history. And fast forward to nearly a year later, Stovall helped Moody stage a proposal at Runaway June's recording studio, which brought their meeting and following courtship full circle. If it wasn't for Stovall, Wayne and Moody might not be the happily-married couple that fans know of today.
Natalie Stovall has been married for 13 years
Though she's the newest member of Runaway June, Natalie Stovall is the marriage veteran of the group. She's been married to husband James Bavendam since 2008, per People. Stovall even dedicated a Facebook post to Bavendam for their 11th wedding anniversary. "ELEVEN YEARS of marriage. And it just keeps getting better," she wrote with a photo of the two of them. "We didn't feel like babies when we got married. But dang. How has it already been 11 years? Happy Anniversary, James Bavendam. You're forever my favorite."
But this really isn't Stovall's only marriage — we're talking about her union with bandmates Naomi Cooke and Jennifer Wayne, of course! "Naomi and I wanted to make sure that we were not going to let any of the past stuff go into this new marriage because that's not fair to Natalie," Wayne told People. "It's pretty cool how therapy makes a new, healthy place for something new to start."
It looks like all the Runaway June ladies are in committed relationships, which is no small achievement. Runaway June is hitting the road on Luke Bryan's Proud To Be Right Here in summer 2021, reported Sounds Like Nashville, along with a new album in the near future, per 102.7 Coyote Country. For these ladies, things sure are going well professionally and romantically!