American Songwriter has published a Q&A with April Sutherland, winner of the publication's Sounds Like Summer Road Ready promotion, recognised for her unreleased song "Follow Through." The piece is part of a recurring contest series in which the outlet profiles winning songwriters, offering them a platform to discuss their creative process and career ambitions.

Sutherland said the song grew out of frustration with excessive phone use, written as a message to the version of herself who intended to read before bed but never did. She traces her musical roots to her mother's early encouragement, cites Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile and Madison Cunningham as key influences, and says she plans to work on releasing her debut EP in 2026. She described winning the contest as "thrilled," adding that the submitted track is one of her favourites, and encouraged other artists to enter similar contests without hesitation.