The voice behind hit songs like “You Broke Up with Me” and “Fancy Like”, Walker Hayes found himself working alongside Capitol Records Nashville for a time. But like many artists, he eventually looked for another record label, landing with Monument Records. While with the new label, he produced albums including Boom and Country Stuff the Album. Although continuing to explore country music, Hayes once again found himself without a record label as Monument Records officially closed.
Helping several artists find their footing in the music industry, Sony Music decided to move forward with shutting down Monument Records. First started back in 2017, Hayes appeared to love his work with the label as he previously signed with both Capitol Nashville and even Mercury Nashville. Although the future for Hayes is uncertain, the label also nurtured a working relationship with the duo Tigirlily Gold.
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Adding names to the list of artists now looking for a label alongside Hayes, they included Alex Hall, Shelby Lynne, and Brandon Ratcliff. While a major transition in their careers, Hayes is no stranger to needing a new label. And when it came to Hayes, it seemed he worried more about AI than he did record labels.
Walker Hayes Discusses Surge In AI
Like many artists, Hayes added his voice to the growing concerns surrounding AI and how it can be used to mimic a singer’s voice. The technology can even write songs in a matter of seconds. While extraordinary to witness, Hayes wondered, “Honestly, it makes me wonder, when you take the necessity for humans to create out of the world, I don’t know if I want to see what the world looks like then. I think that’s when we’re all just sitting and not moving, and we only talk, and we’re just lying in a bed. So, I got to tell you, it weirds me out.”
Although hesitant about the technology, Hayes insisted it would be easier than going into the studio. “I will say this, if someone can put my vocals on my records and I don’t have to come in and sing them, that’d be cool – makes my life a lot easier.”
With the landscape of music and entertainment changing, Hayes might need to turn to AI to help him land a new record label.
(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Family Film and TV Awards)
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