When his grandma offered him a toy accordion, the American country music singer and songwriter Hunter Hayes began his musical career at the young age of 2. The only child of Lynette and Leo Hayes, born on September 9, 1991, at Larniurg Hospital in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, first appeared at four years of age at local performances and on national television.

On Nickelodeon’s game show “Figure It Out” where they performed “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” from Williams’ first album “Through My Eyes” the young Hayes won the distinction of sharing the stage with Hank Williams Jr.. At the age of thirteen, he was asked to play at a White House lawn party for then President Bill Clinton.

A year later, Hayes relocated to Nashville, Tennessee after graduating from school in 2007 to join the Universal Music Publishing Company as a songwriter, contributing to the “Play” song by Rascal Flatts featured in their “Nothing Like This” compilation. In 2010, to work on his major label debut album, he signed a record contract with Atlantic Records Nashville, co-writing every track, performing every instrument and performing every vocal track on the album.

Through debuting songs that would feature on his self-titled album on a ten-week radio tour, Hayes introduced his music. “Wanted” was well received by reviewers, followed by the hit singles “Storm Warning” and “Hunter Hayes” and debuted at No. 3 on the Country Album chart after it was launched on October 11, 2011. Now, the album has been Platinum certified.

In the same year, Hayes acted as the opening act of the ten dates of the “Speak Now World Tour” by Taylor Swift during the summer before embarking in the fall on his first headlining tour, the “Most Wanted Tour” He has also performed on the tour of Rascal Flatts, the concert of The Burning Lips and the tour of Carrie Underwood as the opening act.

Two days short of his 21st birthday, on September 7, 2012, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana, as the youngest candidate. “In the same year, he released more new milestones, including becoming the youngest solo male artist with “Wanted” to top the Hot Country Songs.

Via his debut release, Hayes has been recognised at many awards ceremonies, bagging two Single of the Year awards: New Artist and Music Video of the Year: New Artist at the American Country Awards. His three wins, for Best Young Artist, Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, at the 2013 Grammy Awards were among other coveted nods. He became the youngest male country artist to ever be nominated in all three Grammy categories, even if he struggled to receive all of them.