Walker Hayes

Biography

Charles Edgar Walker Hayes (born December 27, 1979) is an American country pop singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Reason to Rhyme×Reason to Rhyme29 October 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Pants3:392Kitchen Table3:563Cherry Stem3:354Naked4:065Why Wait for Summer3:416Mama’s Hot4:087Speechless3:408My Best Friend’s Fiancee3:129Tulips3:4410Wax Paper Cups3:4311Reason to Rhyme4:18 in 2011 on Capitol Records Nashville, and Boom (2017), Country Stuff the Album (2022), New Money×New Money29 September 2023 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1New Money2:582Good With Me2:263Accidentally Called Her You2:284Fine As Hell3:275Stetson2:03692:567Show Me The Country2:388Taylor Swift3:21 (2023), and 17 Problems×17 Problems22 August 2025 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Neon Lights2:332Pocket Knife2:56317 Year Old Problems3:054One, Two2:315Type2:566Fine as You2:237Mother2:198Song for my Son2:539100 Pencils3:3210Next Wife2:3111Bible Sales are Up2:4412I Still Do3:2713Guys Like Me2:5514Mayonnaise2:5315Jesus, My Dad and Johnny Cash3:1216Adderall2:2917Wednesday3:11 (2025), on RCA Records. Hayes has charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts; his highest-peaking is "Fancy Like×Fancy Like8 July 2021 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Fancy Like2:40", which reached the number one position on both charts between late 2021 and early 2022.

Early life

Hayes was born on December 27, 1979, in Mobile, Alabama. He has eight older half-siblings, four from his mother's previous marriage and four from his father's previous marriage. His father, Charles Hayes, was a realtor and died in 2021. Hayes attended St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile and then graduated from Birmingham–Southern College in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in music and an emphasis on piano.

2005–2015: Beginnings

Hayes and his wife moved to Nashville in 2005, hoping to get in the country music business. He landed a job writing songs for a Nashville publishing company and then signed a contract with Mercury Records Nashville, though he was quickly dropped and moved to Capitol Records Nashville. In 2010, he released his first single, "Pants". It debuted at No. 60 on the Hot Country Songs charts dated for the week ending September 18, 2010. Kyle Ward of Roughstock rated the single 3.5 stars out of 5. Hayes debuted the video for the song in December 2010. Hayes also appeared on an episode of 19 Kids and Counting, singing a song he wrote about Jill and her now husband, Derick's, proposal. "Pants" and a second single, "Why Wait for Summer×Why Wait for Summer4 March 2011 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Why Wait for Summer3:43", both appeared on an album for Capitol Records titled Reason to Rhyme×Reason to Rhyme29 October 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Pants3:392Kitchen Table3:563Cherry Stem3:354Naked4:065Why Wait for Summer3:416Mama’s Hot4:087Speechless3:408My Best Friend’s Fiancee3:129Tulips3:4410Wax Paper Cups3:4311Reason to Rhyme4:18.
Hayes co-wrote and sang guest vocals on "Dirty Side", a song from Colt Ford's 2014 album Thanks for Listening. He also co-wrote Rodney Atkins' late-2014 single "Eat Sleep Love You Repeat". After losing his contract with Capitol Records, Hayes worked at a Costco to support himself.

2016–2020: 8Tracks Vol. 1 and 8Tracks Vol. 2

In 2016, Hayes signed a publishing and production deal with Shane McAnally and SMACK/RareSpark, through which he released two extended plays: 8Tracks Vol. 1 and 8Tracks Vol. 2. This was followed by his first single for Monument Records, "You Broke Up with Me×You Broke Up With Me27 January 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1You Broke Up With Me3:18". It appears on his first Monument album, Boom.×boom.8 December 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Beautiful3:002Shut Up Kenny3:003You Broke Up With Me3:164Halloween3:205Dollar Store3:176Beer in the Fridge2:277Beckett2:568Mind Candy3:419Prescriptions3:0110Craig3:1011Thank You3:12 It would be his breakthrough hit on the Billboard charts.
In August 2018, Hayes released a single titled "90's Country", whose song lyrics contain multiple references to titles of country songs from the 1990s.

2021–2024: Country Stuff the Album and New Money

On June 4, 2021, Hayes released the EP Country Stuff×Country Stuff7 May 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Country Stuff2:35. One of its tracks, "Fancy Like×Fancy Like8 July 2021 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Fancy Like2:40", became a viral hit through TikTok and reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Hayes' highest-charting effort to date. It was subsequently released to country radio as his next single, and debuted at number 53 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. "Fancy Like" appeared on an extended play titled Country Stuff, the tracks of which also carried over to his third studio album, 2022's Country Stuff the Album×Country Stuff the Album21 January 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks1Drinking Songs3:122AA3:103Life With You3:004U Gurl2:335Delorean2:396Fancy Like2:427Craig3:368What You Don’t Wish For3:019Country Stuff2:3510I Hope You Miss Me3:2411Briefcase3:2912Make You Cry3:1013What If We Did3:12. The album has also produced the singles "U Gurl×U Gurl15 October 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1U Gurl2:32" and "AA".
In July 2022, Hayes released the single "Y'all Life".
On July 28, 2023, Hayes released Strait Two Stepping, a two song extended play including the songs "Stetson" and "Show Me the Country". These songs later appeared on his fourth studio album New Money×New Money29 September 2023 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1New Money2:582Good With Me2:263Accidentally Called Her You2:284Fine As Hell3:275Stetson2:03692:567Show Me The Country2:388Taylor Swift3:21, along with the single, "Good with Me", which released on August 25, 2023. The album was released a month later on September 29, 2023.
In July 2024, Hayes teamed up with Canadian rapper Connor Price on the song, "Smoke". It was met with negative reviews and was described as "one of the worst songs ever made." On August 16, 2024, Hayes released "Ball Player×Ball Player14 August 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Ball Player2:49", a song intended as an "apology to his kids" about his feelings towards their athletic careers.
On October 11, 2024, Hayes released “5 to 9”, describing the song as “bigger than Fancy Like”.

2025–present: 17 Problems

On July 25, 2025, Hayes released "17 Year Old Problems", his first new music of 2025. A few days later on July 28, Hayes announced his fifth studio album, 17 Problems×17 Problems22 August 2025 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Neon Lights2:332Pocket Knife2:56317 Year Old Problems3:054One, Two2:315Type2:566Fine as You2:237Mother2:198Song for my Son2:539100 Pencils3:3210Next Wife2:3111Bible Sales are Up2:4412I Still Do3:2713Guys Like Me2:5514Mayonnaise2:5315Jesus, My Dad and Johnny Cash3:1216Adderall2:2917Wednesday3:11, which released on August 22, 2025. Through country storytelling blended with hip-hop production, the album explores themes of fatherhood, faith, and grief. Hayes calls "Song For My Son," a collaboration with country artist Kane Brown, the "most meaningful track on [the] album." The song is sung from the perspective of a father praying he doesn't pass his old addictions and struggles down to his child.
On October 17, 2025, Hayes embarked on the 18 date "Walker Hayes: Unplugged" tour to support "17 Problems." Stripping back the production and featuring acoustic accompaniment from his son, Baylor, and daughter, Loxley, Hayes outlined the story of his musical and personal life in chronological order through songs spanning his entire career.
On November 20, 2025, Deadline announced that Hayes would appear in a Netflix film adaptation of Katherine Center's novel The Bodyguard.

Personal life

He lives in Estill Springs, Tennessee, with his wife, Laney Beville Hayes, and their six children. The couple married in 2004. Their seventh child and fourth daughter, Oakleigh Klover Hayes, died shortly after birth on June 6, 2018. Laney had to undergo surgery due to profuse bleeding after the birth. Hayes is a Christian and has been sober since 2015.