'American Idol's' first platinum ticket winner, HunterGirl, said her 'outlook on music completely changed since working with veterans'
- HunterGirl, "American Idol's" first-ever platinum ticket winner, has made it into the Top 10.
- The singer-songwriter works with military veterans, writing songs with them to help cope with PTSD.
Hunter Wolkonowski, best known as HunterGirl, was the first-ever recipient of "American Idol's" three platinum tickets given out in honor of the show's 20-year anniversary this season.
Blowing the judges away with her cover of "Riot" by Rascal Flatts, she received a golden ticket before being asked to perform at Luke Bryan's Nashville bar and being presented with a platinum ticket.
It sent her to Hollywood Week with the advantage of automatically passing the first round, watching and sizing up her competition, and strategically choosing a duet partner for the next round.
Now, HunterGirl has made it into the Top 10 and is fighting to keep a spot until the very end. Bryan's proclaimed "favorite female country voice" spoke to Insider, saying, "The platinum ticket was definitely a blessing, but I also want to live up to it and work as hard as I can to prove I deserve to be here."
Her hard work didn't just start at the beginning of this competition, though. The 23-year-old has been performing for over ten years, trying to make a name for herself in Nashville.
HunterGirl also works with the non-profit organization Freedom Sings USA, writing songs with veterans to help them cope with the aftermath of serving. "We turn a story into a song," she said. "I go into a room with a veteran and they talk about what they went through. We go record it in a studio and at the end, they have that song forever."
Not only does she do this weekly (temporarily taking a break to compete), but she also started the organization's "Trailblazers" all-women veterans class.
"It's something I'm really passionate about," she said, citing her long family history of servicemen, including her grandfather, great grandfather, and six great uncles.
"My outlook on music completely changed when I started working with veterans," she said, explaining that her songwriting process became more selfless.
"First, in your head, you're like, 'Am I singing this song right?' or 'Is it good enough?' talking about yourself," she said. "My outlook changed to be, 'What song's gonna help them?'"
"That's the whole point of music anyway. It never has to be perfect, it just has to make people feel something," HunterGirl added.
When asked if she'll keep working with veterans after the competition, she said: "I'll do this for the rest of my life."
HunterGirl will perform next on "American Idol" on Sunday for "Disney Night."