Hunter Hayes stopped to chat with Billboard’s Taylor Weatherby on Tuesday (June 5) at the Billboard Country Power Players event in Nashville, discussing his packed week at CMA Fest, playing “Storm Warning” live and sharing a story about singing with his “heroes” Rascal Flatts over a decade ago.
Speaking of his plans for the week ahead, Hayes mentioned an after-midnight hang, playing the Riverfront Stage, taking part in a fan spot where he will share some stories and a gameshow he’ll be a part of on Saturday afternoon. “A lot of new things this year,” he said, adding that he’s “really amped” up.
On the subject of his Riverfront performance — this will be his first time playing the stage in more than five years — Hayes says that he and his band rehearsed specifically for that show. “We returned ‘Storm Warning’ to its very first arrangement, for the most part,” he added, “but we kind of brought it back to the first time I ever got to play it…and we’re also playing a bunch of new stuff.”
Hayes also reflected upon his fondest CMA memory, recalling a time when he was standing in line for a Rascal Flatts meet-and-greet. Having brought his accordion along, he started playing “Praying For Daylight” and the band sang along. “It was one of my favorite memories,” Hayes explained. “I got to sing with my heroes — that was probably 10 years before I got to tour with them.”
You can watch the full video interview with Hunter Hayes above.
