Life and Career

Hayes was born on September 9, 1991, in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. He is the only child of Lynette and Leo Easton Hayes. He has Cajun ancestry.  Hayes grew up singing songs in both English and French. He began his musical career at age two when his grandmother gave him a toy accordion. At four, he expressed interest in playing the guitar. By age six, he was writing songs.

In 2008, Hayes moved to Nashville to pursue his music career. He signed with Universal Music Publishing Group as a songwriter.  In 2010, he co-wrote “Play” for the Rascal Flatts album Nothing Like This. The same year, Hayes was signed to Atlantic Records Nashville. His debut single, “Storm Warning”, was released in May 2011.

In 2012, he won the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year. He also released his second studio album, Storyline, in May 2014. It debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart and reached number third on the Billboard 200 chart. The album’s lead single, “Invisible”, was released in March 2014 and peaked at number #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.