If you’re looking to keep a secret, you’re best off keeping Hunter Hayes in the dark. While the singer spent the first part of last week giving fans hints about his performance at Cosmic Charlie’s in Lexington, Ky., on Sept. 9, he told Billboard he was strictly relaying the information that his camp told him — no more, no less. It was for the best that way.
“It’s so hard for me to keep a secret,” he said. “It really is. I’m the worst. Actually, I had to be kept out of the loop myself. I left it to the team and told them to handle it and let me know what I could tell everybody. So, I was in a need to know basis.”
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That impromptu concert will air as part of the CMT Instant Jam series on Saturday at 10 p.m. He said the vibe of a concert like that is something you can’t replicate.
“I love surprise shows,” he said. “They have such a great energy and spirit. You get to go to a whole other different level of communication with everybody. It’s a unique vibe, one that we don’t get to do a whole lot. I jumped at the chance. You go in with a set list, but you listen to the fans and go with the room. It was an incredible night.”
Hayes has had plenty of incredible nights this year as part of Lady Antebellum‘s Wheels Up Tour. He said that being on the road with the award-winning trio and Sam Hunt was an unforgettable experience.
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“To be on the road with so many people that love music and love life is an amazing feeling,” he said. “It’s such a good vibe. It’s just really good people. And everybody’s got their families out here. We all feel like winning the lottery. We all challenge each other musically. It’s been a great summer. I couldn’t ask for anything better. It doesn’t feel like doing an opening slot and being done. It’s a very cohesive show. It’s been a blast and now we get to do our own shows again and build our own chapter.”
Of his own upcoming 21 Tour, Hayes said his team is focused on keeping it all about the music.
“We’re really stoked to be able to build the new show,” he said. “All of the fans know we change the show pretty regularly. I like production and building a show for a specific room or theater. On this tour, we just decided to do everything — whatever they let us do. It brings it all back to the music, just for the sake of getting close to everyone.”
Music has always been at the very core of Hayes’ existence, going back to his earliest years. In fact, a video of him performing on stage at age 4 with Hank Williams, Jr. has recently been making the rounds on YouTube. So, what does Hayes see when he views the clip? It’s a bit odd, he explained.
“It’s so weird to watch myself on any kind of footage, but especially at that age,” he said. “It’s so strange to know that’s me. The coolest thing about it is how much I realize I loved making noise — even then,” an emotion that he says is still very much in play. “I have so many people that I am grateful to for that. It’s still that way and it hasn’t changed. I’m so proud of the whole team we have out on the road. Everyone does this because we love making music. I like the fact that hasn’t changed. That’s as good as it gets.”