Walker Hayes listened to his fans. The Alabama native just dropped a new song, “That Dog’ll Hunt,” which he wrote with Cameron Montgomery and Melissa Fuller, thanks to the continued request of his loyal fans, after performing it during his live shows and posting a clip of it online..
“My fans are truly amazing…and they tell me the truth,” says Hayes. “When they like a song I hear about it, and when they don’t, I know I will hear about that too! I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without their input. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Hayes released “That Dog’ll Hunt” as his current single, “Y’all Life,” is making its ascent up the charts. The video for the song, from a forthcoming new album, celebrates the everyday life that Hayes loves. The singer used members of his own family, as well as his close friend, and co-author of Glad You’re Here, Craig Cooper, in the footbal-themed video.
“’Y’all Life’ is meant to celebrate life and living in the moment, even if that means things are a little messy… that just means you’re busy living,” Hayes said of “Y’all Life.” “Take me and my family for instance. We’re normal people. We have a garage on the front of our house, we live down the street from a strip mall. Sometimes I leave the lawn mower in the yard; the blow-up Christmas yard ornaments stayed up way too long this year; there are bikes all over the driveway.
“We even got a letter in the mail about our weeds the other day,” he continued. “We’re out here living life the best we can and it’s chaotic, but it’s ours and we’re doing it with the people we love, and I feel like a lot of people can relate to that imagery in this song.”
Hayes spent a lot of years trying to make it as a country music singer. But once he did, after the viral explosion of “Fancy Like,” the father of six admits he was precariously close to walking away from all of it.
“I’m just telling you all the truth. When ‘Fancy Like’ popped, about two months in, I said, ‘I quit.’ I said, ‘I’m done,’” Hayes admitted on the Today Show. I said, ‘Hey, I think everybody will get paid for your investment in me,’ because I was gone. I didn’t see them for like two months.”
It was Hayes’ manager who suggested he purchase a second bus so that his family could join him on the road, which Hayes says is exactly what he needed to continue his rigorous schedule.
“I could do it forever as long as Laney’s with me,” Hayes said of his wife. “And the kids, eventually I’m sure they’ll be like, ‘Hey, I wanna go live my own life.’ … But COVID spoiled me. I got to see what I was missing, and so that challenged me when we got back out. I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t want to miss that anymore. It’s not worth it.’ So now we’re a family band. I just don’t want to lie to everybody. It’s not easy. My wife and I, we fight hard out there. Sometimes, she’s like, ‘Do the kid thing. You’re out there working. I need some help with the kids.’ I’m like, ‘Well, help me with work.’ So we have battles, and then we apologize.”
Hayes is playing fairs and festivals for the next few weeks before he embarks on his Glad You’re Here Tour in September. Find music and tour dates at WalkerHayes.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media / Robert Chavers
