‘Fancy Like’ singer Walker Hayes opens up about his journey from atheist to Christian
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Walker Hayes, country music artist behind hit songs like “Fancy Like” and “You Broke Up with Me,” opened up to Fox News in an interview about how he became sober, found faith and built a strong marriage and family.
The father of six is headlining a tour this summer. (His family joined him on his tour and his daughter Lela is even an dancer.)
“It’s clear that the family-oriented, welcoming vibe that Hayes conveys daily to his more than four million followers on TikTok and Instagram readily extends to his touring family on the road,” Billboard reported.
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In an interview with Fox News, Hayes talked about how he and his wife, Laney, lost their daughter Oakleigh Klover shortly after she was born in 2018. Laney almost died as well. Even though Walker had been sober for two years at this point, this tragedy shook him. Hayes told Fox News he had to rely on his friend Craig Allen Cooper to endure the hardship.
In the book he wrote with Cooper called “Glad You’re Here: Two Unlikely Friends Breaking Bread and Fences,” Hayes described how he had a difficult run when he was trying to make it as a country artist. He became addicted to alcohol. During this time, Hayes was an atheist.
Years earlier in 2014, Hayes met Cooper at church when Laney said she wanted to attend after Cooper’s wife invited the couple. Since then, the Cooper family became friends and neighbors with the Hayes and helped the family when Walker lost his record deal, per Fox News.
Hayes was confused by Cooper’s kindness toward him. “You know, there were a lot of times when I was like, ‘What’s this dude’s deal? Like, why does he love us so much? Like, why does he keep feeding us food? Why is he giving me a minivan? Why is he encouraging me? Why isn’t he like everybody else?’” Hayes told Fox News.
“We saw Jesus in them so clearly. And that’s coming from an atheist,” Hayes told Today. In his friendship with Cooper, he said he experienced unconditional love.
Their friendship has been meaningful to Cooper as well. “The truth is, Walker and Laney and their family have been with us in our hardest times, and they have lifted us up. It’s just been a friendship, I think that is from heaven,” Cooper said, per Country Music Television.
Hayes even wrote a song “Craig” about the two’s friendship.
The first verse reads, per AZ Lyrics, “I met Craig at a church called Redeeming Grace / It’s like he understood my ‘I don’t want to be here’ face / I felt out of place and I smelled like beer / But he just shook my hand, said ‘I’m glad you’re here” / He says ‘we’ll all be judged’ / But he was never judgmental / And even though my songs don’t belong in hymns / He’d quote me my lyrics, slap me on the back / Said ‘Man you’ve got a gift! How you write like that?’”
It was his faith that helped him get through the loss of his daughter, Hayes told Everything Nash.
“Things are changing all the time ... My only hope is Jesus. That’s my message. And I think He’s everybody’s. And to me, there’s a freeing thought that life is not the end all be all. It’s beautiful, but it’s gonna let us down continually until it’s over,” Hayes said to Everything Nash. “There are beautiful, beautiful things to behold in it and about it. Life isn’t the answer, but Jesus is.”
Hayes’ career started in 2010 when he was signed to Capitol Records Nashville. After he released a single in 2010 and another in 2011, neither took off. The label deal went away and Hayes took a job working at Costco, per Billboard. He worked from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. to make some money while he still tried to realize his musical dreams.
After self-producing music, Hayes became an opener for country music star Thomas Rhett and by 2017, he signed with Monument, per Billboard. He said his popular 2017 single “You Broke Up with Me” was about his experience losing a deal in Nashville. Ironically, this song helped propel Hayes on his current trajectory.
Since then, Hayes has been nominated for a Grammy (Best Country Song) for his 2021 smash hit “Fancy Like.” The song won him Billboard’s Top Country Song award.
