Photos courtesy of Hunter Hayes/Warner Music Nashville
Hunter and Heartbreak
Hunter Hayes is getting Closer to You as his tour is set to arrive in Columbus at Express Live in May 2019.
The five-time Grammy-nominated country star released a long-awaited single, Heartbreak, in February; his first single released in three years. The title may appear to clothe a breakup song, but Hayes has a unique perspective on a broken heart. The song focuses on moving forward in life and being grateful for each step, no matter how painful, that takes him closer to a future soulmate.
"Heartbreak was just kind of this thing that told me I needed to look forward after going through a lot of life changes,” Hayes says. “I knew that I was being shaped for something and that all these experiences were specifically designed for me to grow."
Changing and Evolving
" I’ve tried to chase the same path, thinking it will take me to a destination I’ve come to before. The problem is, you’ve been there, so there’s nothing new for you to discover.”
Hayes has long been respected for hit albums including Hunter Hayes (Encore), Storyline and The 21 Project, but hasn’t released a full album in several years. With such monumental success early on in his career, releasing new music undoubtedly comes with high expectations and pressure, but Hayes says starting over and hitting the "reset button" was exactly what he needed.
“We explored a lot more and spent a lot less time saying ‘I can’t do this,’ for whatever reason,” Hayes says. “We experienced a lot of trying something new and just seeing how it went.”
So, where does a Grammy-nominated country rockstar work best? Perhaps not where you'd expect.
“A lot of this was made in my basement,” he laughs. “Which is a very non-glorious studio, but it’s my happy space. It’s my safe place.”
Although his work environment may be comfortable, branching out and producing new music with different sounds, quite honestly, isn't comfortable.
“It’s terrifying, absolutely terrifying,” Hayes says. “And you know, it should be. It shouldn’t feel familiar. It shouldn’t feel like we’ve done it before. I’ve tried to chase the same path, thinking it will take me to a destination I’ve come to before. The problem is, you’ve been there, so there’s nothing new for you to discover.”
With accomplishments like the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year in 2012, three BMI Awards and being dubbed by Billboard as the Leader of Country Music’s Youth Revolution, it’s refreshing that Hayes remains humble and down-to-earth. His heart is set on creating and growing; his blunt honesty allows listeners to connect with not only the emotion within the music but with him as an artist and a person.
"What I love is that I'm as scared and clueless sort of walking through this as I was working on my debut record, and I'm slowly realizing that that's the idea - you're supposed to be completely scared, completely clueless and just jump in anyway."
Hayes recalls an experience at a show that solidified how rewarding his hard work could be. During a concert, he began singing the first few notes of a song he’d only ever played during a pre-show soundcheck. To his amazement, the crowd immediately began cheering and belting the words - they somehow recognized the song.
“That makes me so happy. It makes all of those days when I thought my music would never come out, when I thought I’d never be well-received,” Hayes says. “It makes all those go away.”
It's clear, this country star is excited to be back on the road and touring across the U.S. Keep an eye out for his upcoming music and expect the unexpected, especially as Hayes and his tour come Closer To You.
Watch the official Heartbreak music video here!
Mallory Arnold is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
