Artist of the Week: Hunter Hayes

With three Grammy nominations and sold-out
concerts, the 'Somebody's Heartbreak' singer
proves why he deserves to be inducted into the
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Hunter Hayes is
considerably a
new name to be
reckoned with in
country music,
but he has
scored a lot of
achievements in
a short time.
Rising to
prominent with
his self-titled
debut album
which was
released in
October 2011,
he posted first his No. 1 single at the Hot
Country Songs with "Wanted", making him the
youngest solo male act to top the chart.
The hit song and the now triple platinum-
certified album led him to earn nominations at
the 2013 Grammy Awards, at which he was
also nominated for Best New Artist. Though
losing all titles to other artists, he became the
youngest male country artist to ever be
nominated in those three Grammy categories.
The 21-year-old Louisiana-born star made up
the defeats at the Grammys with Nationwide
Insurance On Your Side Award at the CMT
Music Awards, which was held early June in
Nashville. Added to his list of feats, he was
inducted, as the youngest member, into the
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame at the Mahalia
Jackson Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana on
September 7, 2012, two days shy of his 21st
birthday.
From music charts to prize-giving events, his
popularity continues to work his way through
live performances as proven by two sold-out
concerts at upcoming shows at the historic
Ryman Auditorium. Thus, it's not an
overstatement to dub him the "country music's
version of Justin Bieber ."
"The stage is my comfort zone, and playing live
is what I've always wanted to do," he said of
playing live. "It's why I want to do two
hundred dates a year. I wouldn't feel that way
if I were nervous onstage."
Hayes, who first gave a try on music at the age
of two, gets to greet his fans directly more
often as he has been tapped as an opening act
at Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away Tour". To
resume the tour on June 30, he has been busy
rehearsing. "We have actually built what we're
considering phase one of the set," he shared.