Walker Hayes is opening up about his recent Grand Ole Opry debut. Haye performed for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry on August 29, a full-circle moment that Hayes has been waiting for, for a long, long time.
“Crazy story, but my father-in-law brought me here like 20 years ago,” Hayes says from the Opry stage. “It was awesome, and I left you guys, and I was like, ‘It’s easy to do that.’ And it only took me 20 more years.”
While at the Grand Ole Opry, Hayes found out that his viral hit, “Fancy Like,” has been certified Platinum seven times, for sales in excess of 7,000,000 units.
“I was so much younger in that photo. That is so cool, man. Seven times platinum. That means we get to eat,” the father of six jokes as he holds up his plaque.”
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Why Walker Hayes’ Grand Ole Opry Debut Is So Meaningful To Him
Hayes captions the video by sharing why his Opry debut is so meaningful to him.
“So glad Pops brought me here a long time ago,” Hayes writes. “I can’t remember who we saw but I think Vince Gill was there, which is cool because right after I walked off stage the other night, there he was. And I shook his hand. Pretty cool to share this night with Laney and the kids because they’ve somehow kept me humble and made me feel famous the whole way.
“Big thank you to the Opry for making us feel so welcome,” he adds. “Shout out to Josh Jenkins, Shane Stevens and Cameron Bartolini for writing ‘Fancy Like’ with me. Let’s have a reunion when it goes Diamond.”
The Success of “Fancy Like”
No one, especially Hayes, could have predicted how much “Fancy Like” would change everything for him and his family. After years of struggling to get his music heard, Hayes suddenly found himself a household name as “Fancy Like” went viral.
“Gratitude is the first, it’s the largest word on my mind right now, and it’s inexpressible the amount of it,” Hayes says on Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music Country (via CMT). “And I swear, there’s no way I can sit and be like, ’Yay me,’ at all. All I can do is look at people like you and my team and my peers and my family, and just enjoy watching them experience how this has changed their lives.”
Walker Hayes’ New Album, ’17 Problems’
Hayes just released a brand-new album, 17 Problems. Hayes co-wrote all 17 songs on the record
“This album is very reflective,” Hayes says of the project. “I think you can tell I’m in the middle of losing my dad and raising kids. I’m at that corner of the road in life when you’re looking back on your childhood – you can see it as clear as you ever have – but you’re looking down the barrel of raising kids and keeping your family together. Accidentally, that is a common thread. The songs have this ‘in retrospect’ feeling, and then also, ‘What does the future look like? How do I do this?’”
Find 17 Problems, and all of Hayes’ music and upcoming shows, at WalkerHayes.com.