Country Singer Hunter Hayes on Writing Music and Playing 30 Instruments
Photo courtesy of Juan Pont Lezica1/5How did you break into the music industry?
"I grew up in south Louisiana playing Cajun music. My grandmother gave me an accordion for my second birthday, and I learned to play any other musical instruments that I could my hands on. I sat in with bands every weekend. I was six or so when I hired a band, and I performed gigs as much as my parents would let me. I found songwriting and became obsessed with the studio, which satisfied the geek side of my brain! All of that came together, and I started taking routine trips to Nashville. I moved there right out of high school and wrote for a living, then signed with Atlantic, and started making my first record. I feel like all of my early days of writing and performing was my training, and this is my first time doing this on the grand scale."
Photo courtesy of Juan Pont Lezica2/5Can you describe your song-writing process?
"Writing is a thought process. Often, it's the way I figure things out. I'll type a title into my iPhone, and then pull it up, and think, 'I have this title—here's what it means.' I took time away from writing after we finished the first record because I didn't want it to be forced. I wanted it be natural—the way I felt when I was fifteen and writing at home. The process varies, but most of the time, it starts with a title on my iPhone."
What inspired "Wanted?"
"The song's a love letter. This girl and I were friends, and my idea was that if I could write a song that was halfway decent, I could email it to her and get my point across because I couldn't figure out how to say it. What I was trying to say was that we had a really valuable relationship. It was more than a need—it was a want. We finished writing in an hour and a half, and I remember thinking, no one's going to like the song. It was too quick, too easy. But those are the best ones—the ones that really connect. I didn't end up sending it to her because I thought it was too aggressive, but we laugh about it now. She knows it's about her, and it's humorous because we're best buds."
Photo courtesy of Juan Pont Lezica3/5Which artists do you look up to?
"This week, I'm trying to write and sing like Pat Monahan, entertain like Chris Martin, and be as cool as Keith Urban when I do it."
**What do you think about the pop influence on country music these days? **
"I love that country singers are reaching out and that people are seeing the value in what I grew up with and love. The lyrics have meaning about real life. It's almost as if singers like Taylor Swift aren't even trying—they're just saying something, but they're so poetic. You relate and are moved. Musically, country has to evolve. If it doesn't, it's stale and a dead language."
Photo courtesy of Kristin Barlowe4/5What instruments do you play?
"On the record, I play every instrument you hear. That's how I recorded my demos, and we decided to try and do the record the same way to see if it could happen. We counted 30 instruments! I had drums, bass, piano, and guitar in my home studio, and I wanted to translate that. It gave me more control, and musically, I'm a bit of a control freak over my art. It helped me get my point across."
Which instrument do you want to learn next?
"I'd like to get into the brass world—sit down with a saxophone or trumpet to get some horn parts recorded on my album."
Photo courtesy of Juan Pont Lezica5/5What's your dream collaboration?
"Stevie Wonder would be great. I haven't done a whole lot of collaborations, so the idea sounds like a blast. I'd like to record with Taylor Swift at some point, or maybe some live stuff with Carrie Underwood on the road. Guitar players like Keith Urban would be fun."
How'd it feel to find out you're opening for Carrie Underwood?
"It's great to get an endorsement from someone like her. We've done tours—like the Taylor Swift tour last year, which was a blast, and the Rascal Flatts tour—and all that has been leading up to an opportunity like this. It'll be a full-band electric show. I know how seriously she takes her shows, and to be deemed worthy of opening for her is a big deal for me."
