He released his debut single “Pants,” which wound up reaching number 60 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2011, following his full-length album Rhyme to Reason. Before quickly moving to Capitol Records, he inked a deal with Hayes and recorded a demo for Keith Urban, which led to him signing a deal. In 2005, he moved to Nashville with his wife, pursuing his dreams of becoming a professional musician.
In December 2017, the album made its debut at the sixth position on the Top Country Albums chart, and reached its highest position at number 37 on the Billboard 200. The song became a sensation, achieving gold certification and paving the way for the release of the complete boom in December 2017. Hayes secured a contract with Monument in 2017, which then released “You Broke Up with Me” that same year. Shane McAnally signed him to SMACK/RareSpark in 2016, resulting in the release of two EPs – 8Tracks, Vol. 1: Good Stuff and 8Tracks, Vol. 2: Break the Internet – during that year. Capitol let him go, so he found employment at Costco while continuing to write songs. In 2014, he released the single “Pimpin’ Joy” with minimal attention. In the following years, Hayes worked as a songwriter and successfully landed opportunities with Colt Ford and Rodney Atkins in 2014.