When Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away concert tour came to Pittsburgh on November 27th, it was rising star Hunter Hayes who stole the show. Recently nominated for three categories in the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, including Best New Artist, the young country singer has drawn in audiences not only with his boyish good looks, but his undeniable talent. As a tribute to all his hard work this year, Her Campus Chatham is presenting you with the very best of Hunter Hayes!
This song was definitely the one the audience begged for at the concert. Released on May 16, 2011, it was his debut single in which he not only sang, but played every instrument on the track. Although the latter couldn’t be done in concert, there was no doubt that this is the song that really made the CONSOL Energy Center come alive that night. Click the title to hear the song, and check out another video here.
While this adorable video takes place when Hunter was only four years old, it displays his amazing skill even at a very young age! Jamming to a classic on his accordion and belting out the song, he was also duetting the tune with country music legend Hank Williams, Jr.
Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks – all the country greats have written about taking risks in relationships, and Hunter is no exception. In this sweet love ballad, he sings his heart out and sounds just as great with only a guitar and a microphone as he does on the soundtrack itself.
It’s not every day that an artist gets to remake iconic songs, but Hunter Hayes got the chance to do just that. The song is a duet with Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice for the 2011 Footloose remake; this is one of those rare times that a cover of an 80s song actually outdoes the original.
With the holidays coming up, how could we not include a Christmas song? At the 2011 Jinglefest, Hunter Hayes rocked out with his very own version of Chuck Berry’s holiday classic. One of the things I noticed most at the Blown Away concert was what a pro instrumentalist Hunter was, running his fingers across the neck of the guitar as expertly as Brad Paisley!
This isn’t just my personal favorite, but it is so far Hunter’s biggest hit. “Wanted” is his first number one and was recently certified gold by the RIAA. Hunter made history after becoming the youngest male (aged twenty-one) to quickly top the Hot Country Songs chart since Johnny Rodriguez.
To learn more about Hunter Hayes, his CDs, tours and tweets, you can check out his official site here.
Photo credit: Hunter Hayes’ Official Website