Biography
Possessing both commanding vocal prowess and matching songwriting talent in country music, Naomi Cooke Johnson first earned recognition as a member of the rootsy, pop-country trio Runaway June before stepping out on her own. Her initial solo outing arrived as the energetic anthem "Girls of Summer" in 2023.
Born into hardship in rural Virginia, she gravitated toward music during childhood, where it supplied both comfort and direction. Following years of relocation, her family put down roots in Florida, where an introduction to Nashville songwriter Rob Hatch prompted her own move to Music City. Various part-time roles, continued songwriting, and regular honky-tonk appearances eventually yielded a publishing contract after she co-wrote Tyler Farr’s 2015 hit “Better in Boots.” During that same year she helped form Runaway June with Jennifer Wayne and Hannah Mulholland. Cooke Johnson supplied many of the group’s successful tracks, among them the 2018 breakthrough “By My Own Drinks,” before departing for a solo path in 2021. “Girls of Summer” reached listeners in early 2023, and the semi-autobiographical “Livin’ Ain’t Killed Me Yet” followed later in the year.
Born into hardship in rural Virginia, she gravitated toward music during childhood, where it supplied both comfort and direction. Following years of relocation, her family put down roots in Florida, where an introduction to Nashville songwriter Rob Hatch prompted her own move to Music City. Various part-time roles, continued songwriting, and regular honky-tonk appearances eventually yielded a publishing contract after she co-wrote Tyler Farr’s 2015 hit “Better in Boots.” During that same year she helped form Runaway June with Jennifer Wayne and Hannah Mulholland. Cooke Johnson supplied many of the group’s successful tracks, among them the 2018 breakthrough “By My Own Drinks,” before departing for a solo path in 2021. “Girls of Summer” reached listeners in early 2023, and the semi-autobiographical “Livin’ Ain’t Killed Me Yet” followed later in the year.