From starting big, losing it all, working at Costco and then returning with a 'boom', country singer Walker Hayes' story is inspirational
Walker Hayes' story is one with a lot of ups and downs. The country musician thought his future was set in stone. After all, he was signed on to a record label right after moving to the capital of country music: NashvilleSurc
But the singer found himself facing the biggest challenge yet when a couple of his singles didn't take off as he had expected them to. Walker found out that his label dropped him because of how poorly his singles had performed on the charts.
The singer suddenly found himself without a job to support his family of seven. Walker soon found himself working at Costco to keep things afloat.
But if there was one thing that kept him steadfast, it was his wife Laney. Speaking to Fox News, Walker said that the one thing he learned to do is to listen to his wife. "My wife never told me to stop. She's as crazy as I am." Walker says, crediting his album 'boom', to the persistence of his wife.
Laney stayed away from giving Walker an ultimatum. "My wife never did that to me. She never once said, 'Hey, I need you to grow up,'" said the singer. In fact, she didn't think twice about moving to Nashville with her then-fiance. "My wife and I were engaged and I was planning on being a real estate agent in Mobile," Walker said of his original plans.
Once they made the move, things started moving pretty quickly. "A lot of things happened pretty quick... Within a year, I got a record deal pretty fast... made a record, wrote all the songs, put out to singles, but they flopped hard," Walker said. "Things got hard once I lost that deal because it was one of those situations where it's like you got it, then you lost the deal and think, 'Is anybody going to sign me again?'"
The situation got tough, and Walker needed to keep his family afloat. He decided to work at Costco to feed his little ones, but continued writing. "I would have these battles in my head with my dream. I would tell my dream to leave me alone, to quit telling me to chase it. The notepads and the scribbles on napkins would pile up in my car. I'd think, 'I hate writing but yet, I'm still doing it.' Writing was my therapy through the tough times we were facing," the country singer admitted.
Walker also was open to doing odd-jobs around his neighborhood, and will never forget the kindness of the folks around him. He recalls a neighbor who lent him a helping hand when times were tough. "I've never been afraid to work for money," Walker said.
The singer admitted that there were times when he felt the need to give up. "It's just it got tough there to work and to write songs at the same time. I felt the pressure to let go of music." But with the support of his loving family, Walker gathered the strength to carry his dream forward. "My business runs better when my family is a part of it, and I get to see my wife and kids, that makes me a better artist," the singer said.
Walker's album 'boom' is available here.