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10 Questions with ... Walker Hayes
June 25, 2017
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WalkerHayes
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/WalkerHayesWalker Hayes moved to Nashville in 2005 looking to launch a career in the Country music industry. After snagging a writing gig for a publishing company in town, Hayes was originally signed to Capitol Nashville in 2010 and released a single, hit the road, and hustled to try to break through. But, it wasn't until after he was dropped from the label roster that he had a personal reawakening. Hayes and his wife, Laney, along with their six children, had to eat, so he took a job at Costco and started to reevaluate how - and why - he writes music. In 2016, Hayes signed a production deal with Shane McAnally's SMACK/RareSpark, and he released his "8Tracks (Vol. 1): Good Shit" the same year. In January of this year, McAnally and Jason Owen partnered together and joined with Sony Music to relaunch the Monument Records imprint with Walker Hayes as the flagship artist. His "8Tracks (Vol. 2): Break The Internet" has been released, and the first single, "You Broke Up With Me," has seen massive success on streaming platforms and SiriusXM's "The Highway." He has been championed by Bobby Bones, opening for him on comedy tours across the country, and will hit the road with Thomas Rhett's "Home Team Tour" this fall. Hayes and the team at Monument have now released "You Broke Up With Me" to terrestrial radio, and Hayes feels he is more prepared than ever to make a run at the business. In the week leading up to the single's add date, Hayes took time out to talk to All Access Nashville about his career, his music, and his favorite trashy reality shows.
1. As Monument's flagship artist, how does it feel to be working so closely with Jason Owen and Shane McAnally? Are there any great expectations or added pressure since this is a newly resurrected label imprint?
I mean, to say it feels good is the mightiest understatement in all the land. Jason and Shane are so established; they have so much credibility that they have earned with their own gifts. So, for them to team up and let me be the flagship artist? Shoot! For me, it's not even really a lot of pressure. I just feel like we all have a lot - equally - at stake. And, that is really amazing when you can partner up with people, and you feel like they go to sleep dreaming as big as you're dreaming, and then they wake up with that same fire in their belly to make something happen and change the world. That's incredible! A lot of times, you can be on a label where you feel like you're just another artist. And, maybe you feel like you're just more or less another dart that a big, established label is throwing. And yeah, they hope you succeed, but to me, I feel like me and Shane and Jason all just share a common desire for this to work. I think Shane and Jason want to come out of the gate with something that works. They don't want to fail first a few times. And, they are as passionate about this project as I am, which is pretty unique for an artist to have that opportunity. Shane has even told me, personally, that he feels more obligation to get the world to hear my music. As an artist, to hear that from your hero, there really are no words to describe that. I have a lot on my plate - six kids to feed and my family to provide for - so, it's not just a dream or me saying, "Oh, I want to be a star!" I really have to get this career established, or I won't be able to use this dream to provide for my family. There are a billion angles to explain that I could point to why this is a miraculous situation for me, personally. I'm not sure if any other two people said, "Hey, we're going to take you to radio, and we're going to establish a lane for you. And you, and this music, will work on radio," I'm just not sure I would believe anyone else, except for Shane and Jason. I trust them with every decision that they make. And, that's so odd. I think most artists are fearful about wondering what the label will pick for a single or what the style will be. For me, I can just write songs and perform, and then I truly leave it up to Monument, and that's crazy. I'm not afraid of any decisions they make - even silly things, like "Well, what will the video look like?" Branding and all of that, I just trust them, because I know they are incredibly gifted at those things, and I believe that I'm a priority, and that they are doing everything to make this work. So, I relinquish all of that. I'm involved when they ask me to be, but I just trust them.
2. "You Broke Up With Me" has already made a splash on streaming services and SiriusXM, and now it's heading to terrestrial radio. This isn't your first foray into terrestrial radio, though. Are there any nerves or reservations about this next step? How have you and the team at Monument prepared for this launch?
So, the streaming numbers nowadays - and, there are a million ways to skin the radio cat - but these streaming numbers provide a lot of unique stories. And that's the key to me, is the word "story." For new artists - and I definitely consider myself a new artist, even though this is somewhat of a re-launch, I had nothing going on when Shane and Jason signed me - but, as a new artist, when you go to radio, it's tough to just go in and say, "Hey. Here's a guy. He looks like this, he's from this town, and he's really good at singing." Ya know? Everyone has that. Everyone is good at singing, or they wouldn't be signed, I guess. That's just not enough these days. We have to compete with reality television, where they show you a two-minute clip about an artist, and you just want to root for them. Because, in that clip, you've probably just learned that they are adopted, their life has been hell, they may have one leg, their mom cries on national TV... I get sucked in, and I love the story more than the actual performances sometimes! So, honestly, me working at Costco just trying to provide for my family makes some of the friends I have in radio want to root for me, because I stuck around - somehow! And, so, with streaming, it's helpful to be able to go in to radio and say, "Hey, we're selling 5,000 a week, and it's not even on the radio." To me - I'm not bragging - I just think I finally have something that works. And, I think it's something that radio will like. So, when I walk in, and I can tell them my story, and then I get to perform for them, they can say, "Oh. He can do it live!" And, then they hear the record, and they can say, "Man, I see no reason why my audience wouldn't like this. I must share it with them." And, you really have to make that case for Program Directors, because - God bless them! - I don't know how many new records they get a week! And, I know there's only so much room to establish an artist and an artist's presence. And, so, I think they also want to know, "Okay, if I play this record, are you a one-hit wonder? Or do you have more to offer? Is there more in the tank?" So, last year, we released "You Broke Up With Me," and we also released a lot of other stuff, just so we could gauge it and be able to show real stories about how fans are going to learn these words to all these songs and invest in me so that I can show it to Program Directors as part of my resume. So, we're geared up for another song on [SiriusXM's] "The Highway." I'm really excited about that, because as soon as we do that, you're no longer a one-song artist. There's new material that people can invest in. So, I'm doing everything I can to prove to these great Programmers and the Gate Keepers and the Taste Makers that I'm going to be around for a while. This is just the beginning, and I hope to add something to our format, and I hope to do something a little different but do it for a long time. I want to be something that the listeners might not know that they needed, but that I fill a lane, and that they enjoy it for a while. I just want Programmers to know that I appreciate the chance again. I'm just glad. It is really cool to say the word "single," and, to be able to say, "Yeah, I'm on terrestrial radio!" There are a lot of stations that have jumped out early. I feel like my first go-round, when that would happen, it was like, "Oh, yeah. Okay. That's great, but let's go get the next one." But, see, this go-round, I appreciate it a little differently after all that I've been through. When I get an add, I call my wife, and we get excited. They kids are even involved and are like, "What is that?" So, I'm just really so excited and so thankful to be in the game. I love it - every second of it - and I'm just savoring every second with this single. This is going to be a fun ride!
3. The track itself has a lot of swagger and sass to it. While it connects with most people in terms of relationships and ex-lovers, the backstory for you has a deeper meaning. Can you tell us about the connection between the song and your previous endeavors into major label success?
Yeah, on the surface, it's a fun, empowering track. I think everybody loves an "Eff You!" song! To me, that's what this is. It's the ultimate example of being in a really great place if you can turn around and say, "Hey, YOU broke up with ME!" with conviction. And, that's how I felt the moment it hit me that we were on to something with my music and that there was no stopping this train. There was a moment where I was working at Costco, and I had a publishing deal, but I was getting zero outside cuts. I rarely had a really decent co-write, outside of the friends of mine who were on that same level. Not a lot of people wanted to collaborate with me. But there was a moment that, as soon as Shane pointed at my stuff and said, "Hey, no one is going to cut these songs that you're writing, but I have to cut them on you, because they need to be heard." As soon as that buzz started around me and the national attention started to creep up, my phone lit up! It was a lot of old friends wanting to be new friends again. When I lost my first record deal, my wife and kids and I lost - I wouldn't say friends, but - we lost a lot people around us. They just vanished! They were nowhere to be found. I couldn't get a break, and I couldn't get people to even respond to my emails about songs, no matter how good something was. And, a lot of these songs I was sending out are songs that are on this project that will be singles for me. But, yeah, my reply to them - and, honestly, I have no ill feelings, because that's just kinda how this town works - but, when they all kind of wanted to get back onboard the ship, it was, "Well, hey! Y'all broke up with me!" So, saying that kind of helps me feel less guilty about not being able to collaborate with some of those people, and it's honestly just because I'm so busy right now. There are a lot of people from the past that I do want to help and want to collaborate with, and I want them to get rewarded and get some glow for helping me in the past, because of all they did. But, yeah, that was the original idea for "You Broke Up With Me." And, I say that with a little smirk on my face, for sure. But, I feel like, too - unless you're that person that I'm talking to - you can smirk right along with me! That's just the way it goes, ya know? And, there will be people who can probably say that to me at some point, too. I know there are people in this town who have reached out who might want to write or collaborate, but I've been busy and haven't taken the time or whatever. And, I'm sure they'll have hits, and I feel like, "Man, I should have taken the time to write with them or get together with them," and those people will feel like, "Hey, you broke up with me." I know that's just the nature of the town and the business
4. Similarly, much has changed for you since you were signed with Capitol back in 2010. You've now been in Nashville for a dozen or so years, and you have a few more kids at home, too! How have the life experiences played in to your growth as a songwriter and artist?
It's been 13 years now here! And, I don't know exactly how to explain it, really. I'm a tough, tough person. I always have been tough to embarrass, too. But, there were a couple moments that kind of defined my writing now. One was, when I got dropped from Capitol, I needed a job. I didn't know how I was going to get a job, and at the same time, I actually had fans - great people who would come out and hear me and love what I had done. And, I remember one night, I was playing at Puckett's, and this young guy came up to me who was a huge fan. I was hosting an open mic night, and he ended up playing some songs. After that, we just talked, and - again - he was just going on and on about my songs and how much he loved them. But, in the meantime, he mentioned that he worked in the tire center at Costco. And, I was so embarrassed, because here was a fan of mine gushing about my songs and my music, but the whole time he's talking to me, I'm thinking, "Man, I wonder if Costco is hiring." And, it ended up that he was actually how I got a job! So, that was very humbling to me. Also, when I was working there, I would run in to people in the industry, and it was just really awkward for everybody. But, I'm telling you these moments, because when that happens to me, personally, it didn't make me stop chasing what everyone was doing, but I started to write songs for no other reason than the fact that I just loved to write. In my head, I wasn't getting up every day saying, "Okay, I have to write this for Billy Currington, because he's looking for a song." I wasn't trying to write inside of a formula for anything. I wasn't trying to write for the radio, because I honestly just didn't think that was going to happen. I really thought that the chances of me even getting an outside cut that had the chance of gaining enough momentum to keep my dream alive was even just really slim odds. So, I really just woke up and wrote down what I felt like needed to be said, but for no reason. Not for radio, not to get an outside cut, not for a purpose or goal - not even for money. Just because it was there, and I had the words, and it needed to be said. To me, that brought out what people needed to hear from me, I guess. It made me evolve in to things like "You Broke Up With Me," and "Lela's Stars," and "Halloween," and all these weird things that will show up on my record now. And, these are things I feel like people can insert their own story into. But, if I had not had those experiences, I might not have gotten that chip on my shoulder. I might wouldn't have felt like, "Hey, I'm just writing this for me, so screw off, everybody!" That really, really changed my style of writing, and low and behold, as I'd turn those songs in to Shane and the team, they'd say, "More of this. Do more of this. This is what I'm connecting with. I'm driving around in the car listening to this and crying, so I feel like the world needs to hear these stories." So, to me, all of those stories and struggles, that's all my music is now. It's just me saying, verbatim, what happened, and they happened to be set to some pretty cool melodies. And, when I'm performing, I feel like it's translating live. I'm not just singing a single for you. I'm singing you a journal entry. I'm sharing a real part of my life. So, I feel less time caring whether or not people like it, and spend a lot more time just losing myself with the audience, because I feel like they really understand. They've been there, too, and it's not just me singing some formula and hoping it goes to #1. It really is just me sharing who I am, like it or not, and deciding that I'm going to have a good time with it.
5. So, speaking of your family, you and your wife have grown the family quite a lot in recent years! With Laney and six children at home, how much do you find them contributing to your music now?
They are always giving their input. With "Lela's Stars," it's funny. I had about five different melodies picked out as to how I could sing "Lela," her name, and basically I just let her pick which one was her favorite. And I thought whichever one she picked, that's what I would go with. So, that was easy to give her that decision. And, with a lot of my songs, they're just so honest that I run them by Laney, my wife, and I'll say, "This is our life. I want you to be okay with me sharing this" - there's a lot of songs that I write about my struggle with alcohol addiction, and I want her to be okay when everybody in our hometown hears this - "and I want you to make sure that this is completely 100% true and how you remember it." I don't ever want to write something by stretching to make it more popular. I want to tell the truth. So, I run all of those really honest songs by her. But, yeah. They inspire me daily. There's a song called "Beckett," and it's just about my son, Beckett. It's just about how he rolls. So, my kids and Laney have so much to do with how and what I write. "Halloween" is all about Laney - that's who she is to me. And it's a good thing we didn't do like a prenup or anything, because she deserves a co-write on every single song, most definitely! I even tell my co-writers, "If y'all knew how many hours I spend just sitting with Laney saying, 'Hey, how about this line? Is this cool? Is this a better option?'" But, she's always so cool and is always there to answer and help me.
6. As you've been working on this new music and taking it out on the road, a lot of what you've done on the road recently has been with the loop pedal, which many are now associating with Ed Sheeran. How long have you been working with that technique, and what are the benefits and roadblocks you face when performing with the loop?
Well, honestly, I have Robert Carlton - he's my manager - and Shane, and Michael Baum, and they basically said one day out of the blue - you know, a lot of my tracks that I've released are little tracks that I built in The Shack on Music Row - I would beat on tables, and I'd whistle, and I'd shake shakers, and anything to just build the track while we were writing these songs. And they said one day, "Hey, can you do the Loop thing and just do this live?" And, seriously, I was daunted by that suggestion. It is NOT easy for me. Maybe for some people, they can just pick that up, and it comes natural, but if you mess up - I mean, it's one thing to do it in your house or for your kids or when no one is looking - if you're standing in front of a crowd, and you've gotta get that first beatbox right or play that guitar part in time, and you're all by yourself up there, it's super scary. So, it took me - I guess the first loop show ever was at Patriotic Fest last year when I was opening for Sam Hunt. And, it was a success, so of course once you do it right one time, it's addicting. You just get that rush! And, now, I've just loved doing it! Honestly, the biggest hurdle for me now is going from loop to the band. I've gotten so comfortable with it - and not necessarily hiding behind it - but I've gotten so comfortable with the loop, and that's a big part of the show that I've been doing out there on the road. It's me saying, "Hey, let me get this beat going," and adding to the track and stomping on pedals. Now, I'm trying to transition to a little three-piece band.
7. In preparing to launch "You Broke Up With Me" to terrestrial radio, you are also getting ready to hit the road with Thomas Rhett, who is another artist bringing great blends of sound to the radio. What will the new music and label partnership bring to your live show? Will you still set out as "Loop Bryan," or will you be adding a full backing band?
We're working on it! It truly is frightening to me. I haven't settled in to the full band thing. For me, a good show is not a perfect show, it's just one where you connected. It's a show where the fans got to know you, and they realize that you're human, but they also think you're a star and that you're talented and all that good stuff. I feel like over the past year, we've really gotten good at that with the loop, so now with the band - I don't know. I not 1000% comfortable with it, but that's kind of what I want to perfect over the summer so that when we go out with Thomas Rhett in the fall, we've got it. I mean, I think I have may 20 or 25 minutes out there opening Thomas Rhett's show, so I've got a small window and a small amount of time where I need to connect to every single person in the audience. So, maybe it'll have a little loop...? I'm definitely sure that there will be an acoustic-slash-loop section, but what percentage of the show will it be? Well, I just honestly don't know right yet. And, I'm just so fortunate to be out with Thomas Rhett. He's doing me such a huge favor. I mean, right now, I don't even have a single out at radio yet, so to say that I'm going out with him in the fall, that's pretty nuts! Most people at my level are not getting to go out with a guy like Thomas Rhett, so that's huge of him to do this and take me out.
8. Speaking of recent road adventures, you've spent a lot of time on the road lately with Bobby Bones and his Raging Idiots tour dates. How did the partnership with Bobby come to be, and how have those gigs differed for you from a more traditional opening act slot on other artists' tours?
Playing for Bobby was such a unique experience. I had just come off the road with Dan + Shay, so those were your typical show concerts where everybody is standing up. They were already listening to music on the speakers, so when I came out, it was like, let's just keep this party going, and I would get them pumped up for Dan + Shay. Bobby and I have a relationship that began when I wrote the "Pimpin' Joy" song, probably about four years ago now, when they began doing their "Joy Week." Then, he got ahold of my new music - and I think he would tell you this, too - he's just a big fan. He loves the authenticity. He praises my writing style so often on his "Bobby Cast" and things like that. And, our relationship just kind of grew from there. So, when he did his comedy tour this spring, he took me out. His audience was completely different. His audiences were sitting down, and they were in theaters, and it was quite similar to playing the Bluebird. You could hear a pin drop when I'm singing these crazy songs like "Break The Internet" on the loop and all this stuff. So, his tour really got me to grow as an entertainer. Every single night, when you're sitting in front of 800 people who are just dead silent - and maybe 20% of them have heard of you because of Bobby, but the others are just like, "What is this guy doing with his feet up there?" It really sharpened me and honed my entertainment skills on the loop. I guess that's another thing that makes me kind of afraid to abandon the loop, somewhat, is that I got so used to it when I was out with Bobby, and I could confidently get up and entertain. But, Bobby has been a champion. He has relentlessly pumped me up to his audience; he has played my songs, and he's played some really deep cuts. He played a song called "Beer In The Fridge" last year, which is a two-minute, sad song, and he just lit it up. He has really stuck his neck out for me, and I can't thank him enough. He and I don't really hang out that often outside of work, but I listen to him in the mornings. I'm a fan. I think we're just fans of each other, to really tell you the truth.
9. So, Bobby is like a number of current Country taste makers and programmers, in that he has segued to Country radio from the Pop world. "You Broke Up With Me" has a great feel to it - rooted somewhere between what feels to me like Modern Country and early 2000s Pop, with early Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, and John Mayer vibes. Is that the direction your sound is heading right now? And are those artists contributing influences to your style, or where are you pulling from to create these sounds that you're playing with on these tracks?
So, that's really funny that you say that. Me and Bobby, we have really similar tastes, and I love hanging out with him in the green room and shooting songs back and forth. But, yeah, I grew up on 90s Hip-Hop. My first Country record was Tim McGraw, "Not A Moment Too Soon" - it was the "Indian Outlaw" record with "Don't Take The Girl" and stuff like that. I think I was in seventh grade when I heard that and thought, "What is that? I have to listen to this." Then, I went on this huge 90s Country binge. But, it's not like I abandoned the rest of all the other music. I loved everything. And, I think that's kind of the generation Bobby can relate with. We both can quote all kinds of lyrics, from Tupac to Beastie Boys, and all kinds of 90s Rock hits by Sister Hazel and Verve Pipe - it was just a smorgasbord of great music. But, again, I didn't grow up listening to Hank and Merle. The oldest Country I ever heard growing up was like David Allan Coe and Willie - but Willie wasn't old to me, he was just another great artist like a James Taylor. So, I didn't really separate it by decade or genre, I just loved it all. But, yeah. Right now, I feel like a lot of my generation did and still does the same thing. And, seriously, I watch my kids, and they'll surf music on their own, and not once has any of my kids ever mentioned a genre to me. Not once. Never. They get music via Spotify, Pandora, YouTube. The radio is awesome, and they love it, but they get pissed when I can't push rewind and play it again for them! We'll be riding around, and they'll say, "Hey! Play that again!" And I'm like, "Dude, sorry, I can't...it's the radio." So, I feel like everybody is getting music differently, and that's definitely changing the way people listen. It's making them open to new ideas and new sounds, where when they hear it, maybe they aren't saying, "Oh, this ISN'T this or that," and maybe get mad, maybe now they say, "Oh, this IS different, and I like this, whatever it is." And, that's cool, I think. And, I also feel like Country music is the widest genre there is. You can hear Chris Stapleton and Jon Pardi - and you're jamming to both of them - and along comes your next song by Sam Hunt or Thomas Rhett, and then you've got Kelsea Ballerini, or maybe Carrie Underwood. But, to me, it's all over the map, and that's such a great thing, because it keeps everything interesting. This is, to me, the best and most interesting format to listen to, especially when you get a good station that is really playing it all. I take no pride in having distain for a certain type of music. I don't get that, because, I can't name not one type of music that I would be able to say, "Oh, I hate that." And, I know with people like me and maybe Sam Hunt, someone might say, "Oh, he's rapping!" Well, I'm sorry - actually, ya know what, no I'm not - I just love Rap. I love beats. I'm unapologetically a fan of all good music. To me, the whole reason that I'm staying Country is that it's all about the craft of the writing. I couldn't be a Pop act and write songs like "Lela's Stars" or "Beer In The Fridge." That's the truth. There's no other genre that would let me do that. I've been here for 13 years writing Country songs. And, yeah, maybe it sounds different when I've got the beat behind it, but I think that's okay.
10. As a songwriter, you've worked diligently before, during, and after various label and publisher signings to hone your craft. Additionally, between label signings, you didn't quit pursuing the artistry and recording. So, as someone who has been in this town since 2005 B.C. - Before Cranes - what advice would you offer to young, upcoming artists who are just getting to town and are struggling to find a place in the industry?
Goodness. I think the most important things to me are to somehow surround yourself with people who are not focusing on how hard it is. That's easy to do on a daily basis - it's easy to find yourself in a writers' room trading stories about how you're not going to get a cut, or how so-and-so isn't gonna cut an outside song, or how this artist is making it but I'm better than him. Don't waste any time doing that at all, because you're wasting your time and your life and your chances. If you do too much of that, you'll go home. It's discouraging, and it's easy to sit around and feel that way. I could tell you ten reasons right now why Nashville ISN'T where anybody needs to go, because it's hard, and you have to have thick skin. So, you better surround yourself with people who are positive. Like with me, Shane, and Jason - like I said, it's a miraculous situation. I think we all go to sleep and wake up thinking that we can really make a difference that is positive, and that we can leave this world some incredible stuff that we created, and that it will make the world a better place. If you're not around people who believe that with you, you're probably going to sink to the level of whoever you're around. I tell my kids that all the time! You become who you're with, so be with awesome people. And then also, I would just say that every day, you should remind yourself why you do what you do. Because, the minute you start making it about a dollar or about fame, it'll swallow you up. You have to be able to do it and wake up doing what you're doing for 100% pure love of it. If you don't, you're going to wear out, burn out, and not be able to continue doing it. Because, it really is hard. There's nothing predicable about this town. Every single one of us who have made it right now? Well, we all have a different story. We met somebody at a coffee shop. We had a wreck with somebody who ended up signing us. We spilled coffee in a car and met somebody when we were cleaning the car out. There are all these crazy stories about relationships and how they're formed in this town, and that's how stars found their way to the sky. It's not like people just come and cut a demo, pitch it, and boom, overnight success.
Bonus Questions
In one of your songs - "Break The Internet" - you name-check Kim Kardashian, among other pop culture references. Let's be honest for a moment - what is your favorite trash television to watch?
Oh! Trash television! Okay, so I haven't watched it in a while - honestly, because I just have zero time to watch television right now, and when I get down time, I'm listening to new music or I love to read - but "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" crush me. I'm ashamed of how much I love it! Honestly, these recent seasons, I have no clue what's going on. But, my wife and I watched probably the first six religiously. I just could not wait for that show to come on! Television is gifted at what they do. They get you with that stuff! I think most people who would say they hate stuff like that are just lying, or maybe they're embarrassed to say they love it, too. There's more, too. I can't remember which show my kids were watching the other day - "Cake Wars" or "Cake Boss" - some of the cooking shows about cake. I was in to it! I have never cooked anything in my life, except maybe like a grilled cheese or something, but for some reason, I'm watching these people make cakes that are like "The Sound Of Music," and I'm judging them! I'm saying, "Oh, see, I think that one should win, depending on how it tastes." And my wife was like, "Wow. You're really getting in to this!" But, that's what it does. They're just brilliant at how they suck you in. But, yeah, "The Bachelor." Yeah, I really, really love "The Bachelor" a lot!
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