Christian Hayes explains how his new single “Something To Lose” is the ‘start of a new chapter’

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Credit: Eric Ryan Anderson

Every artist has their own skills that they use to create music. They also have their own influences. For Christian Hayes, storytelling was a tradition that was passed down through generations, so it was only natural for him to incorporate the art of doing so into his music. Additionally, he acquired maturity, routine, and discipline when he was in the U.S. Navy, traits that would help him in creating his debut EP, Last I Love You. The EP was released in September, and it featured five folksy, Americana tracks that served as a send-off to his past. Fans were particularly drawn to “LILY,” which drew in over 3M streams before it was officially released on the EP. Since the EP, Christian has released follow-up singles like “Wildflower” and “Through It All,” which bring him into the next phase of his life—a phase that focuses on moving forward. We caught up with Christian ahead of the release of his newest single, “Something To Lose,” where we learned more about the song and how it ties into Last I Love You as well as future projects.

Hi, Christian! It’s nice to (virtually) meet you. Thank you for taking the time to do this. This week, you’re releasing your new single, “Something to Lose.” How are you feeling in the days leading up to the release?
Super excited for this one to come out! It’s one of the first purely happy songs I’ve written. The day I walked into the studio, I told the guys I was tired of writing sad songs and wanted to write something happy—so this is the first one we started with.

I see the track as an anthem for those tapping into their purpose. What does the song mean to you?
This song is about the things in life you can’t imagine living without. A lot of people view “losing” in a negative context, but having something that’s worth losing means it holds great value to you.

What do you like most about “Something to Lose”?
My favorite part is the guitar solo at the end. It’s my first song with a real ripping guitar solo, and I loved the process of making it.

This single follows the release of “Wildflower” and “Through It All.” Were all of these tracks written before or after you released Last I Love You?
“Wildflower” was written before, “Through It All” was written after, and all the other songs coming out this year have been written over the past couple of months.

Are these singles standalones, or are they building toward a larger body of work?
Some might be standalone, and some might become part of a larger project—but a larger body of work is definitely the goal.

Back in September, you released Last I Love You. You mentioned in a press release that it’s “about who I used to be, and it sets the stage for who I’m going to be.” Millions of people have connected with it. How does it feel knowing that songs about your past self have touched so many listeners?
A lot of the subject matter on Last I Love You was about things I felt alone in. Seeing others find comfort and work through those same things has meant a lot—it really made me feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

I read that you originally had about 900 songs to choose from for Last I Love You. How did you decide on the final five?
We basically sat in a room and narrowed it down to about 30 songs. Then we listened straight through and picked the ones that felt the most “me.”

Looking back, is there anything you would’ve done differently while making the EP? Or is there something you’d like to try on your next project that you didn’t get to try on this one?
For the last eight years, I was in the U.S. Navy, which taught me a lot about getting out of my comfort zone. Moving forward, I’m super excited to experiment with new things—different instrumentation, different sounds—stuff we haven’t tried yet.

Your bio mentions that your grandfather, a former poet, gifted you a journal to write in, which led to songwriting. Did he ever help you write songs?
Unfortunately, he passed away a couple of months after he gave me the journal. But I do have a binder full of all his poems, and hopefully I’ll do something with them at some point.

Can you give us any hints about your next single?
I swear—it’s really good.

How is the rest of the year looking for you?
I’ve been able to meet some amazing musicians recently, and I feel like we’ve been creating some great music together. I’m going to continue doing that this year. In the short term, I’ve got some festival dates this summer: Mayfest, Texas Music Revolution, and then the Jackalope Jamboree up in Oregon.

Thank you again for your time, Christian. Is there anything else you’d like to add or share?
“Something to Lose” is the start of a new chapter after the LILY EP, and I’m really excited for how the rest of this year is gonna play out. Excited y’all are along for the ride.

Credit: Eric Ryan Anderson

You can listen to “Something To Lose” here.

Catch Christian on tour here.

Keep up with Christian Hayes: Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // TikTok // Website

Christine Sloman
Christine Slomanhttps://linktr.ee/christine.sloman
Writer for Melodic Mag since 2018. Music lover since always.

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