He’s a native of Mobile, Alabama, a family man, and a lover of all things Applebee's, at least that's what we gather from his popular song, 'Fancy Like.'
45-year-old country star Walker Hayes, more recently known for songs like AA, and chart topper ‘Fancy Like,’ has been pursuing music for 21 years-- and after writing over 2,000 songs, that pursuit is something he’s still hungry for.
“I swear, even driving in today, I’m just as excited to walk into this room that I’m about to walk into and chase down this song with my friends, and just try to do something great,” Hayes says.
Hayes says he’s always trying to ‘lasso’ a good song, and impressing his manager (Rob) is well… near impossible.
“I know—I know, history tells me that there’s a 99.999 pi chance that Rob’s gonna go, ‘I don’t know man, like, it’s not that great,’ but I’m going to try, I just want to try,” Hayes says.
Hayes expresses gratitude to God for putting the love of music inside of him.
“I’m just grateful, so grateful that God wired me to where my favorite song is the one I’m working on right this minute,” Hayes says.
While Hayes has gotten more comfortable talking about his faith, his walk with God hasn’t been long. During our interview, Hayes got more vulnerable and said his true testimony began after one of the greatest tragedies of his life—losing his daughter Oakleigh at birth in 2018. He says, holding his perfect infant, pointed to what was eternal.
“Through that grieving process, I began to see my need for a Savior,” Hayes says.
Now Hayes says he’s a new man, and unlike before, he shows up wanting to connect with family and friends more than he ever has.
“I crave friendship beyond work relationships, I crave family,” Hayes says.
Hayes is humbled and appreciative of the support of his fans and says those who connect with his music are like his new friends.
“We need to just be silly and dance and say Applebee's over and over,” Hayes says. “That’s kind of how I feel at my shows, you know, that I’m standing in the living room with some like-minded people."
You can see Walker Hayes perform live at BYU-Idaho this Friday at 7:30 p.m. You can get tickets online at the BYU-Idaho Ticket Office.