2005–2015: Beginnings Hayes and his wife moved to Nashville in 2005, hoping to get in the country music business. He landed a job writing songs for a Nashville publishing company and then signed a contract with
Mercury Records Nashville, though he was quickly dropped and moved to
Capitol Records Nashville. Kyle Ward of Roughstock rated the single 3.5 stars out of 5. Hayes debuted the video for the song in December 2010. Hayes also appeared on an episode of
19 Kids and Counting, singing a song he wrote about Jill and her now husband, Derick's, proposal. "Pants" and a second single, "Why Wait for Summer", both appeared on an album for
Capitol Records titled
Reason to Rhyme. He also co-wrote
Rodney Atkins' late-2014 single "Eat Sleep Love You Repeat". After losing his contract with Capitol Records, Hayes worked at a
Costco to support himself.
2016–2020: 8Tracks Vol. 1 and 8Tracks Vol. 2 In 2016, Hayes signed a publishing and production deal with
Shane McAnally and SMACK/RareSpark, through which he released two
extended plays:
8Tracks Vol. 1 and
8Tracks Vol. 2. This was followed by his first single for
Monument Records, "
You Broke Up with Me". It would be his breakthrough hit on the Billboard charts. In August 2018, Hayes released a single titled "90's Country", whose song lyrics contain multiple references to titles of country songs from the 1990s.
2021–2024: Country Stuff the Album and New Money On June 4, 2021, Hayes released the EP
Country Stuff. One of its tracks, "
Fancy Like", became a viral hit through
TikTok and reached number 3 on the US
Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the
Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Hayes' highest-charting effort to date. It was subsequently released to country radio as his next single, and debuted at number 53 on the
Billboard Country Airplay chart. "Fancy Like" appeared on an
extended play titled
Country Stuff, the tracks of which also carried over to his third studio album, 2022's
Country Stuff the Album. The album has also produced the singles "
U Gurl" and "
AA". In July 2022, Hayes released the single "Y'all Life". On July 28, 2023, Hayes released
Strait Two Stepping, a two song
extended play including the songs "Stetson" and "Show Me the Country". These songs later appeared on his fourth studio album
New Money, along with the single, "Good with Me", which released on August 25, 2023. The album was released a month later on September 29, 2023. In July 2024, Hayes teamed up with
Canadian rapper
Connor Price on the song, "Smoke". It was met with negative reviews and was described as "one of the worst songs ever made." On August 16, 2024, Hayes released "Ball Player", a song intended as an "apology to his kids" about his feelings towards their athletic careers. On October 11, 2024, Hayes released “5 to 9”, describing the song as “bigger than Fancy Like”.
2025–present: 17 Problems On July 25, 2025, Hayes released "17 Year Old Problems", his first new music of 2025. A few days later on July 28, Hayes announced his fifth studio album,
17 Problems, which released on August 22, 2025. Through country storytelling blended with hip-hop production, the album explores themes of fatherhood, faith, and grief. Hayes calls "Song For My Son," a collaboration with country artist
Kane Brown, the "most meaningful track on [the] album." The song is sung from the perspective of a father praying he doesn't pass his old addictions and struggles down to his child. On October 17, 2025, Hayes embarked on the 18 date "Walker Hayes: Unplugged" tour to support "17 Problems." Stripping back the production and featuring acoustic accompaniment from his son, Baylor, and daughter, Loxley, Hayes outlined the story of his musical and personal life in chronological order through songs spanning his entire career. On November 20, 2025,
Deadline announced that Hayes would appear in a Netflix film adaptation of
Katherine Center's novel
The Bodyguard. ==Personal life==