GEORGIA-BORN CHRISTIAN HAYES BLENDS ROCK, POP, AND SOULFUL AMERICANA ON HIS POWERFUL NEW COMING-OF-AGE EP 26
Rising Appalachian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Christian Hayes releases his 26 EP, a collection of heartfelt songs that finds him at a crossroads, embracing a wide-open future as he finds his footing as a man and his truest sound yet as an artist. The six-song project seamlessly blends rock, folk, and pop while putting Hayes’ gift for evocative lyrics and melodies on full display.
Written and recorded while the Georgia-bred musician was 26 years old (he just turned 27), the EP looks back at personal pain and romantic heartbreak just long enough to let go — as heard on singles like the breezy but bittersweet “Caroline, Oh Caroline” and high-energy road anthem “65 on the Interstate.” Mixing musically introspective moments with undeniable bursts of sonic exuberance, Hayes charts a path through the tumult of youth and into hard-won optimism — or, at least, a sense of peace with the steps that brought him here.
“26 is me closing the door on a version of myself I outgrew,” says Hayes “This year forced me to face myself in a way I’d been avoiding — especially in how I hear my own voice. These songs sound different because I’m different. This EP is a goodbye to the person everyone else wanted me to be, to the old sound I hid behind, and to the cycles I kept letting run me. 26 is the final page of that story. What’s coming next is the man I’m choosing to be — and the sound that finally fits.”
The titular song, “26” is a pitch-perfect finale to the EP, blending the stormy guitar of the set’s more inward songs with the easy melodic might of the outward ones — helped out by chiming keys and a full-band sound. Hayes is wistful at first, appearing weighed down by life’s big questions: “Half of my friends they got married, half of them have been divorced / There’s a couple that are buried, and I won’t see anymore / The say it’s time to buy that big house, if I don’t wanna fall behind / But ain’t found my cinderella, am I runnin’ out of time?”
But as “26” progresses, Hayes lands on the hopeful hook, which he repeats like a mantra: “I’m only 26 and I still got a lot of life to live.” Written by Hayes with Cole Miracle and Billy Dawson, and co-produced by Jeremy Schmett, the song embodies the spirit of 26 in whole. Elsewhere, he works with producer Brett Truitt (Mat Kearney, Maggie Rose), plus songwriters like James Maddocks (Morgan Wallen, Post Malone), Jack Riley (Cameron Whitcomb, Grace VanderWaal), and indie-folk artist Chance Emerson to bring his vision to life.
Listeners’ first taste of 26 came in September with the radiant “Good As It Gets,” an open-hearted and soul-stirring love song all about letting new romance bloom at its own pace. Around that time, Hayes sat down to discuss his evolving sound and artistic growth with Ones to Watch. In the midst of a glowing profile, the publication wrote, “At the soul of Hayes’ songwriting is vulnerability and transparency on experiences which have shaped him into who he is now. Memories that listeners can also find pieces of themselves in.” TMRW Magazine similarly praised Hayes’ “gift for crafting songs that feel lived-in and universally resonant.”
That emotional intelligence and depth of understanding has been present all the while, including on his 2024 debut EP Last I Love You, featuring viral hit “LILY,” and early 2025 single “Something to Lose” which was later reimagined as a harmony-fueled collaboration with Corey Harper. That life-affirming anthem earned raves from outlets including The Luna Collective (who hailed it as a “soaring meditation on gratitude and emotional risk”) and landed on highly coveted playlists from the likes of Holler. (who included on its “Best New Country Songs” roundup), Fandom Daily, Up2Date Country, Country Central, Prime Time Country Music, and more.
Born in the foothills of Appalachia, Hayes comes from a long line of storytellers including his Grandpa Jack, a poet who encouraged him to start writing at age 7. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve and attended the University of Alabama, eventually relocating to Nashville to launch his career, inking with Capitol Records in 2024. Following appearances this year at major festivals like CMA Fest, Jackalope Jamboree, and Born & Raised, Christian Hayes is now touring North America with gavn! — tickets HERE and dates below.
Christian Hayes, 26
1. “65 on the Interstate”
2. “Flowershop”
3. “California Sun”
4. “Good as It Gets”
5. “Caroline, Oh Caroline”
6. “26”
Christian Hayes Live Dates
Dec 04 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
Dec 05 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
Dec 06 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
Dec 07 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder
Dec 10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
Dec 11 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
Dec 12 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
Jan 16 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
Jan 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
Jan 20 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
Jan 22 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips FTW
Jan 23 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room & Garage
Jan 25 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston
Jan 27 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
Jan 28 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
Jan 29 – Tampa, FL @ New World Brewery
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