Walker Hayes' record label is shutting down. Monument Records, started in 2017 by Jason Owen and Shane McAnally, in partnership with Sony Music, is home to Hayes, along with Tigirlily Gold, Brandon Ratcliff, Alex Hall and Shelby Lynne.
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Hayes has yet to comment on the label closure. It was McAnally who signed Hayes, after Hayes approached McAnally at a Smoothie King in Nashville. Hayes releaed his sophomore album, Boom, in 2017, which included the Top 10 hit, "You Broke Up With Me."
But in 2021, everything changed for Hayes, when he released "Fancy Like." Hayes penned the song with Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, and Shane Stevens. After posting a video of him dancing with his daughter, Lela, the song quickly became a viral hit.
"My co-writers and I, for several hours we talked about Jesus," Hayes recalls to Wide Open Country. "That sounds so wild compared next to a song like that. But after telling our testimonies for hours, we must have felt free because the fact that we started a chorus with a massive bass drop and the word Applebee's is kinda wild."
What's Next for Walker Hayes
Although Hayes has not shared what is next for him, his music career will undoubtedly continue. He followed "Fancy Like" with three more hit singles at radio: "U Gurl," "AA" and "Y'all Life." His New Money album was released in 2023, followed by his Sober Thoughts EP, released in 2024. He is also touring with Brad Paisley later this year, serving as the opening act on Paisley's Truck Still Works Tour, kicking off next month.
Whether or not Hayes finds another label home or not, the 45-year-old likely already feels like a winner.
"I guess I'm a little surprised now at how little all the worldly success in the world changes anything for the better," Hayes tells Wide Open Country. "I think maybe success for me now is just not even thinking about my circumstances, but just thinking about other people and myself less and not being self self-centered as a father, as a husband and as a performer and just even with people I see on a daily basis. The older I get, the less [it is] about me.
"I honestly attribute that to just — to knowing Jesus ... The definition of success has gone from this lengthy list of things that I needed to accomplish," he adds. "And now, again, it's kind of a meaningless word. The last thing I want my children to do is leave my house chasing success, because it will only let them down."
