Hunter Hayes

When he was just 19, Hunter Hayes became one of the hottest new stars in country music, signing with a major label and attracting plenty of press attention and airplay. Despite his youth, this wasn't really new for him -- he was playing for paying audiences at the age of five and cut his first album when he was nine. Hayes grew up on Cajun music, evolving into a different sound in his teens that blends contemporary country and polished pop songwriting and production, not unlike Taylor Swift, who tapped Hayes to open shows on her Speak Now tour. Hayes also was a studio prodigy ...