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Photo: Evan Woodrum 

Christian Hayes is taking new risks in a transformative era of his music career with the release of his single “Good As It Gets.” The rising Americana-pop singer-songwriter describes leaning into a slower, more acoustic-electric feel: “I took a lot of influence from some John Mayer music for this one,” he explains. “[I am] excited for it — [I’ve] kind of been slowly introducing a new sound, and this is the first one that's really taken off with that.”

"Good As It Gets," co-written with David Hodges, Steve Solomon, and Andrew Jackson, is a deep and heartfelt reflection on letting love unfold naturally. “It’s a song kind of about letting love do its thing and kind of slow burning — never been a slow burner,” Hayes shares, laughing. “So I wrote a song about [a] slow burner.”

Hayes has been playing guitar and writing music for nearly two decades, constantly evolving his sound. But, the evolution didn’t come overnight, he says it is the result of patience and the right team by his side. “Developing is such a big thing... Now that I've been able to kind of find the people that I love to work with... I’ve been able to take the music that I grew up listening to and the music that I listen to now and really kind of mesh everything together to make my own sound.”

One of the most emotional parts of the song is the bridge — a rare element in Hayes’ discography. “I'm not a big bridge guy... I may have written ten bridges in my life. So for me to actually put something like that in the song, it's a big deal,” he says. 

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. “Everything I write about, I try to be as authentic as possible... I love to make sure that when people hear the song, they can really hear the heartfelt, ‘Oh, he lived this.’ This wasn’t just some idea. This was actually something that I lived through.”

Every second of the track outlines a feeling for Hayes, but there is one that sticks out most: “This is as good as it gets.” It’s a contrast to his breakout hit, “Lily”, which he calls “a song about discontentment.” He remembers feeling like, “that line [in “Good As It Gets”] is such a line of contentment. Like, I finally found this contentment that I’ve been searching for my whole life.”

Having written over 1,000 songs over the course of his life, he admits it is not easy choosing which ones to release, feeling a profound connection with each melody and lyric. “They're all my babies,” he says. “I’m constantly writing new songs, and I’m really bad at... recency bias. I’ll send [my team] a song and be like, ‘Dude, this is the best song I’ve ever written,’ and they’ll be like, ‘You said that about the last song.’”

Hayes’ journey began early — scribbling poetry and passing time with his journal at age seven, heavily influenced by his grandfather. “Writing is a muscle... even if it’s a poem or a short story, I try and write something every day.” 

As for what Hayes hopes fans can take with them after listening to the single —- embracing the beauty of right here, right now. “Stuff takes time. The best things in life take time... Patience is a virtue, for sure. And there’s something sweet about enjoying the moment.”

Looking toward his future in music, he is gearing up for shows with Willow Avalon, an appearance at Born & Raised Festival and more music to come. Crediting this year as a time to build a solid ground for the next steps in his career. 

“This year’s been such a year of cementing a firm foundation... I just want people to know — I’m here to stay. This isn’t just some viral moment. There’s no Plan B. This is what I’m here to do.”