Former ‘American Idol’ singer opening new wine bar with live music in Charlotte
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ashley Hunt launches Songbirds Wine Bar in Charlotte to support local artists.
- Venue will feature live music, DJs, and Black-owned wine, beer, and bites.
- Songbirds aims for fall 2025 opening at McCullough Commons in University area.
For Ashley Hunt, music has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. Now, she’s bringing her passion for singing to light with a new wine bar opening in Charlotte: Songbirds Wine Bar.
The “American Idol” alum, who appeared on Season 20 of the hit singing competition, has been working on the new concept for years. As an aspiring artist herself, she’s hoping Songbirds — a nod to her childhood nickname — will be a space for singers and music lovers.
“I am fully pursuing a music career on top of working, on top of opening up this bar, but the whole purpose of us opening the bar is to be able to tailor towards the community but also to independent artists like me,” Hunt told CharlotteFive.
“So people who maybe haven’t gotten a lot of opportunities or videos or photos to perform, this going to be their home.”
A home for live music, popular DJs, and maybe even spoken word, she said, along with Black-owned wine, beer and small bites.
“Being an independent artist is very tough. You’re your own everything — your own promoter, your own photographer, your own investor,” Hunt said.
“For a lot of independent artists, they don’t necessarily have the resources ... they don’t have a place to perform all the time that is a welcoming space and so I want to be there. I want to be that for the community.”
It was was originally supposed to open in Concord. But will officially be making its debut in the University area this fall, as first reported by Q City Metro, with two bars and a stage.
“It was just not working. The building — we had to basically tear it down to build it back up. If I can be honest, it was a lot of money wasted. Anywhere from like 15 to 20 grand,” she explained.
But in a full circle moment, she found a space for the bar at the McCullough Commons business center, which happened to be the first one she scouted out for Songbirds.
“It’s just by everything. Everything is right there. The foot traffic is there and it just seems like it’s the right place to be,” Hunt told CharlotteFive. “It just seems like it’s a good fit.”
An official opening date has yet to be set but they are hoping that it’ll be in September or October.
Songbirds Wine Bar
Location: 230 E W.T. Harris Blvd, Suite C-10, Charlotte, NC 28262
Instagram: @songbirds704
This story was originally published June 13, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
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