Walker Hayes may seem like an artist who catapulted onto the country music scene when he had a string of hits in 2021, including the number one single, Fancy Like. But like many of the best country music stars, fame did not come overnight. Instead, it took time to land a record contract, make any traction on the charts, and required playing lots of small gigs to get some name recognition. Not much of which may be remembered by Hayes' fans, but is something remembered intimately by the U Gurl singer.
In 2005, Hayes moved to Nashville to pursue his dream. And while things looked promising after quickly getting signed by Capital Records, when a solid hit failed to be produced, Hayes was dropped. Instead of working in music, the father of seven worked at Costco to support his growing family.
But working for the big box store was not to be the end of the journey to making it big in country music. Instead, Hayes was signed by Monument Records in 2017 and has not looked back since. Especially with his music continuing to climb the charts and tour dates to promote his album.
As successful as the last few years have been, the net worth Hayes has amassed is far less than fans might expect. But, with the songwriter continuing to generate hits, it would not be surprising for his bank account to match that success in the future.
Here is why despite massive success on TikTok (and an Applebee's deal) Walker Hayes' net worth isn't so fancy.
What Walker Hayes' Net Worth Is
While the estimates vary wildly as far as what Hayes' net worth is, the majority fall somewhere between $4.5 and $5 million. Not a shabby number by any stretch.
But for a singer who has been in the country music industry for over a decade, it would be expected that more money would have been amassed by this stage in the game.
What needs to be remembered, however, is that for a few years, the You Broke Up With Me singer was working eight-hour shifts in retail sales in the early morning to be able to hustle and song write in the afternoon.
This means, that it is really over the course of the last couple of years that millions of dollars have been made. And when it is looked at in that light, that is a decent amount of success to have in just a few years.
Further still, it is speculated that with Hayes being a "growing name" in county music, his massive social media following, and Applebee's partnership, his wealth will only continue to grow.
How Walker Hayes Has Made His Money
Hayes was off to a good start with his rejuvenated music career when U Gurl and Y'all Life was released. But, things really started getting interesting when Fancy Like was released. Not only was the song catchy, but it became a TikTok sensation.
During the pandemic, Hayes and his family were like a lot of families, as they learned and participated in TikTok dances. As a result, one of Hayes' children, his daughter, Lila, choreographed a dance to go along with Fancy Like. In doing so, the father-daughter duo caused the dance and the song to go viral on the media platform.
Fancy Like was already climbing the charts, where it would eventually land at number one. But, in writing about Applebee's, the chain saw their sales skyrocket.
Wanting to capitalize on the success of the song, the restaurant chain reached out to Hayes for an undisclosed deal. The only thing of which Hayes has shared is that he has the Applebee's gold card, meaning he can dine at the restaurant for free for the rest of his life.
Outside of the massive success of Fancy Like, Hayes makes his money like all singers through album, concert ticket, and merchandise sales. He is also incredibly successful with his social media accounts, with YouTube earning him over $650k yearly and Instagram an estimated $2 to $3 thousand per endorsement.
And with his popularity only continuing to climb, these figures are expected to be larger in the coming years as well.
Why Walker Hayes Is Not Worth More Despite Several Successful Years In Country Music
Though Hayes has released three studio albums, it was not until his latest, Country Stuff The Album, that the High Heels singer got traction in the country music industry. So much traction, that it is only one of three albums in any genre released in 2022 to receive the RIAA certification, cementing Hayes' presence in the genre.
When looking at all that Hayes has gone through to reach this point, what has been earned is quite impressive for the singer who chooses to live off the map in Tennessee.
And if this momentum keeps up with album sales and especially concert ticket sales, there is no doubt that what Hayes is worth as of 2022, will be a flash in the pan compared to what he will be worth in the years to come.
Success Almost Made Walker Hayes Walk Away From It All
Just after Fancy Like took off and made Hayes a household name, the country music star was ready to walk away from a career that was a decade in the making. Simply put, it was because Hayes was spending too much time away from his family.
"I quit. I'm done," Hayes explained. Hayes was spending so much time promoting his latest hit that he was away from his wife and six children for two months.
While this is what the Face In The Crowd singer had been working so hard for, the massive amount of travel and missing important events back at home made Hayes question if it was all worth it.
Sensing that Hayes would really throw in the towel, his tour manager brought up the idea of bringing the family on the road. A move that allowed Hayes to keep his career and spend important time with his family.
While there have been sacrifices for Hayes to get to this point in his career, those sacrifices will likely be what keeps the celebrity country star humble. It is that humbleness and down-to-earthiness that his fans adore and will keep Hayes successful in his songwriting as well.
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