Hunter Hayes' Pets

Hunter Hayes is an American multi-genre singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is proficient at more than 30 instruments. Hayes released his self-titled debut album in 2011. It reached number seven on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Country Albums, and sold over 1.1 million copies. Its most successful single, “Wanted”, sold over 3.5 million copies and made Hayes the youngest male act to ever top the Billboard Hot Country Songs.

Hayes’ commercial success and his talent both as a songwriter and instrumentalist prompted Billboard to call him the leader of “Country Music’s Youth Revolution” in 2014. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards including Best New Artist, and won the 2012 CMA Award for New Artist of the Year and three BMI Awards.

Hayes has a career rooted deeply in collaborations that have shaped and solidified his journey in the music industry. In 2011, Hayes co-wrote his debut single “Storm Warning” with esteemed songwriters Gordie Sampson and Busbee, making a powerful entrance into the scene. Not long after, Hayes’ duet with Victoria Justice in 2012, “Almost Paradise” for the ‘Footloose’ remake, brought him into mainstream pop consciousness. The partnership with pop diva Jason Mraz in 2013 marked another milestone, when they performed “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me” live on ‘Ellen,’ introducing Hayes to a wider audience. Later, in 2014, a special collaboration with pop powerhouse Tori Kelly on “Invisible” demonstrated Hayes’ ability to straddle country and pop genres with ease. Hayes proved his versatility in 2017 by partnering with renowned DJ Zedd and Grammy-winning violinist Lindsey Stirling for a memorable rendition of “I Want Crazy,” fusing electronic, country, and classical elements. By 2021, Hayes had joined forces with Alison Krauss, the queen of bluegrass, for a heartfelt rendition of “Where It All Begins.”

In 2012, he scooped the Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year and the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Chemistry. Hayes’ third album, “The 21 Project,” garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album in 2015. A testament to his lyrical artistry, “Wanted,” earned him the BMI Country Award for Song of the Year in 2013. Hayes also secured the CMT Music Award for Collaborative Video of the Year in 2018, and more recently, the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2022. These distinctions mark his consistent boundary-pushing impact on the industry.