Hunter Hayes, who has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and is a platinum-selling singer songwriter known for songs like “Wanted” and “I Want Crazy,” released his latest album, “Evergreen,” on March 6.
Now, he is setting off on a 12-show tour, which launches July 31 at TJ’s Corral in Minden, Nevada. Catch him performing before that at Blue Note Hawaiʻi on Sunday, June 28, and Tuesday, June 30, in Waikīkī. Tickets start at $55, plus fees. Get tickets.
A little known secret? Hayes, who played every single instrument on his debut album, can pick up at least 40 instruments and often features the mandolin in songs, but for this album, he opted for a different instrument: the ʻukulele.
“Right before ‘Evergreen’ I started falling in love with the ʻukulele,” he said, adding that his interest in the instrument followed earlier visits to Hawaiʻi.
Hayes grabbed an ʻukulele and held it up on Zoom during a recent interview with Aloha State Daily.
“This one's actually my favorite,” he said. “And the reason that I bought it was because it says that it's handcrafted in Honolulu, but I found it in Nashville."
The ʻukulele is part of songs throughout the album, including "Evergreen," "Wait" "Every Piece," and more.
"It's an eight-string ʻukulele, so it kind of plays like a mandolin, but it sounds like an ʻukulele," Hayes said. "But that was one of the rules for the album is that we had to have that sound on every song — for me it was because it gave me a sense of peace. It transported me to a place of calm.”
Since his debut, the Louisiana native has amassed more than 3 billion global on-demand streams, including multiple gold and platinum certifications. He has had spots on tours with superstars like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. And Hayes has almost 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with some of his most popular songs including “Wanted,” with 342.5 million streams, and “I Want Crazy,” with 203.1 million streams.
The newest album, "Evergreen," is the third part of a trilogy, following “Red Sky” (2023) and “Wild Blue” (2021).
“The more I sat with ʻEvergreen’ and what I wanted from it, there were parts of it that I had lived and knew, and there were parts of it that I didn't really believe that I knew as well,” Hayes said. “And then that kind of unlocked this whole new permission to write about the future in a way that was more like a dream or a manifestation or a prayer. I've talked about this album as letters from my future self, and that's because I wrote a lot about the life that I wanted to live and the feeling that it gave me — thinking about that and visualizing that and living in that dream.”
One of his favorite songs is “Evergreen,” which inspired the album's name.
“That song was written back in 2018,” he said. “I wanted that feeling — whatever that place was — that song sounded like a place, and I wanted to go there. And that is the guiding light for the whole project.”
Another favorite is “Around the Sun.” It takes a big topic and makes it conversational, he said.
“It just starts with me explaining here's where I'm coming from, and here's how I am the way that I am, or why I think I am the way that I am, and why I operate the way that I do,” Hayes said. “Here's the thing I believe in the most, out of all the things that I believe in — the earth is still spinning, we're all still in it together, and there's always something beautiful to find. There are many songs on the last two albums that sort of share that sentiment, but I think this one is the most grounded of all of them.”
Unlike his usual full band shows, the upcoming four shows at Blue Note Hawaiʻi allow for a more intimate experience.
“It's my favorite form of performing in that I'm with the audience, whatever they bring into the room, I'll meet them there,” he said. “And the show adjusts accordingly.”
One show from a previous visit to Oʻahu was so quiet “you could hear a pin drop,” Hayes said. For that one, it gave space to share stories. The next show “was an absolute party,” he added.
Previously, Hayes has performed on Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu at venues including Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Blue Note Hawaiʻi.
Listen to “Evergreen.” Follow Hayes on Instagram, YouTube and Spotify. Get tickets.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
