Walker Hayes talks 'Fancy Like' Grammy nomination, choosing family over fame

After more than a decade in country music, Walker Hayes' time in the sun has finally come -- and he's soaking it all up while continuing to be himself.

Hayes' hit song "Fancy Like," released in summer 2021, went viral on TikTok, spawned a social media dance challenge and rose to the top of the country charts, even hitting No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Now, he's nominated for his first Grammy, with the tune earning a nomination in the best country song category. Hayes is up against Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton, with the show airing Sunday.

If there's one person who saw this all coming, Hayes said, it's his wife, Laney, whom he married in 2004 and with whom he shares six children.

"In a very humble way, she would say she's not surprised. She's always believed in me that much," he told "Good Morning America." "Laney has ... believed in me more than I have for many years, so she's really a lot of the reason we're all standing up and dancing."

Commanding a stage is also something Hayes said comes easy for him, calling it "one of the most natural things I've ever done in my life."

These days, he's performing in bigger venues than he ever has before. "It just feels like I belong there," he said.

On the timing of 'Fancy Like'

Hayes said he often thinks about how "Fancy Like," the first single off his 2022 album, "Country Stuff the Album," came into the world at the perfect time, noting, "Timing was most definitely a huge factor in the power of this song and how it had a life."

The tune dropped more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and was one of the first he wrote when restrictions began to lift. "I think you can feel that energy," he said.

Once released, "Fancy Like" blew up thanks to a 27-second TikTok dance video filmed with his daughter, Lela, his oldest child. The video -- a no-frills clip showing a father and daughter doing now-iconic choreography -- has amassed more than 35 million views and counting.

"If you read the comments on the TikTok dance, a lot of people don't even know that I'm the artist. They just think I'm a dad dancing with my daughter," Hayes said. "I think the world needed to see that."

Hayes, who now has nearly 3 million followers on the platform -- more than his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followings combined -- said he would have "never guessed" he'd be "a multimillion-follower TikTokker guy."

As for those who think he's the coolest dad on the platform, Hayes said with a laugh, "My kids may say differently."

How it feels to be Grammy nominated

In a TikTok video posted in November 2021, the day Grammy nominations were announced, Hayes reacted to "Fancy Like" receiving a nod from the recording academy.

Instead of proclaiming "I'm nominated" as one might think, he repeatedly tells his team "we're nominated for a freaking Grammy" and asks them if they're excited. It's clear he can't contain his joy -- not just for himself, but for everyone around him.

"I'm definitely not an I," Hayes said of that candid moment.

"The songs that I make, they're not easy sells," Hayes said. "I can't get them through the gatekeepers without these remarkable people that I work with. It's tough for us, but they encourage me to do what I do, and they give me so much artistic freedom."

Not only that, but Hayes said his family stands by him at every turn.

"Everywhere I go, my family goes with me. Every heartbreak I've ever endured, Laney, my wife, has felt it equally," he continued. "When I read that moment that we had been nominated for a Grammy ... that wasn't a nomination for just me."

On choosing family over fame

Hayes said he and Laney prioritize keeping their family unit from changing who they are in the wake of his recent success.

"It's hard because you've got fame tugging at you," he said. "I'm trying to keep my children humble; I'm trying to keep myself humble."

Hayes said his family is "very simple people" and they "stayed home a lot" even before the pandemic, with Laney homeschooling the kids while he focused on music. Once "Fancy Like" blew up, Hayes said he was "busier than ever" and only saw his kids for a few days in the span of a couple months. This led to a big heart to heart with his team.

"If I have to choose between family or fame, it's an easy choice for me," he said to told those around him. "Fame isn't that great and family is."

As a result of this conversation, his team got an additional bus for Laney and all the kids to travel with him from show to show.

"My wife and kids aren't home alone being 'Walker's family,'" Hayes said.

On what defines the 'Walker Hayes brand'

When it comes to Hayes' social media persona, he said he doesn't use filters or change outfits just to present a better version of himself for the camera.

"When I wake up every day, I don't put on a costume," he said. "It's just a snapshot of what our life really looks like."

Hayes said there's a lot of "temptation to fall into that trap of wanting to elevate" his reality for fans to perceive him in a certain light, but he makes it his mission to avoid that "slippery slope."

"That's not us," he said. "Thank goodness my brand is just me. It's me as a dad, me as a man, me as a husband."