Walker Hayes Quotes

I had to make a drastic change at Sun Records and I didn't really appreciate country music until I went there.

What qualifies me to tell people how to act or what to think? I'm Charley Pride, country singer. Period.

I don't think the label makes the artist or the artist makes the label. It's the music that makes everything work or not.

A stadium tour would be amazing - that's definitely one of my goals. Just to keep putting out real, honest music that people can really relate to and connect with.

That's just the music industry. They always want you to write something like the one that was popular.

I got offered publishing deals to write country music, but it was not what I wanted to do.

I want to be a country singer more than anything in the world.

Record labels and producers are not looking to change you: they are looking to make a star. And what they might think is a star may not be you.

Whether I'm on a major or an indie, I don't think this is important, but at the same time I do.

When I started making music, I figured the name Rico Nasty would give a background of who I am.

Who told you I was a musician?

I don't want to put my fate in country music fans; I'm too stubborn.

I think it's all about the people who listen to your music, and loving playing and writing. Once you've got those two, and they're your main two priorities, then radio and TV and all the other stuff that comes with it will come. But that's not the be-all end-all.

My music and my fan base is really built off of my lifestyle.

When I was young, I was offered my first recording contract in 1971 and was offered quite a bit of money if I would change my character and be a '70s version of Cher.

So there was a way for you to get promoted and survive as an artist without worrying about AM radio hits.

I've only had one platinum album, and it's 'Red River Blue'.

I want to figure out what kind of artist I want to be, because with the 'American Idol' process, it just works really fast. The night of the finale, they said, 'OK, here are all the label people that you're gonna work with, this is the album you're gonna make and blah, blah, blah.' So it was a pretty fast process, but it's been cool.

There's no way to be able to tell what it's like to be a country singer until you're walking in the shoes.

First of all, I've been having a wonderful run of luck with cover albums, songs I didn't write. I had five pop cover albums and two Christmas albums, and they were all very successful.

I knew what I wanted to be, but I didn't know exactly how to get there. I thought you move to Nashville, you sing downtown, and someone discovers you, and you become a country music star. I had no idea.

I don't really plan to be a pop star; I just want to be able to make music without the whole My Dad thing hanging over me, which everyone in my position goes through.

Well, I tried to get a record deal in 1966 or '67, and everyone thought I was too eclectic.

I'd be saying, 'No, I'm so not a DJ, I'm a producer.' But no matter how much faith you may have in yourself, until you have a hit you can't really run around telling everyone you're a producer.

I was kind of going that route with my country music. Indie country. Which would work, if I was playing on Americana stages. Unless I had a television outlet like 'Glee'.