Country Singer Walker Hayes Says His Latest Single ‘Ball Player’ Is an Apology to His 6 Kids
Country star Walker Hayes draws a lot of inspiration from his wife, Laney Hayes, and their six children — and his latest single, “Ball Player,” is no exception.
“When I came home from the road, prior to my recent success, I met the family at the ball field every Sunday,” Walker, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his partnership with Autotrader for National Dog Day. “I came home and I’m just trying to be the best dad I can on a daily basis, which means all I’m doing is failing every day and saying ‘I’m sorry.’”
Walker, who released “Ball Player” on August 16, shared that although he doesn’t feel like he’s “improving that much” as a dad, he thinks his kids will be “graceful and merciful” with him. (Walker and Laney share Lela, 18, Chapel, 17, Baylor, 15, Beckett, 12, Loxley, 11, and Everly, 7.)
“I’m just doing the best I can and ‘Ball Player’ is somewhat of an apology to my kids,” he explained to Us. “It’s basically saying, ‘Hey, I know that I live vicariously through you. It’s kind of hard not to do. I don’t want to do it. I know it’s unhealthy, but I’m a broken man. So when you succeed, I feel it. When you fail, I feel it. And I want to feel it for the right reasons, you know?’”
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Walker went on to explain that the song is also a reminder to him that he’s worth more than just his career, a lesson he hopes his children take with them when they’re older.
“I need to hear that, I need to look in the mirror every day and go, ‘Hey, you are not just a songwriter. Your worth is not whatever you write today, and you need to hear it.’ I think I need to say [that] to my kids on a daily basis,” he shared. “And that’s why me and my cowriters wrote it. It was four dads in a room, just reliving our glory days, but then also thinking, ‘Man, we could be better dads. What do we wanna say to our sons and daughters?’”
Since “Ball Player” made its debut, Walker said that some of the responses from fans have “broken [his] heart in the best way.”
“I’ve seen kids on socials tag their parents and say, ‘Dad, I love you,’ or, ‘Mom, this reminds me of us,’” he told Us. “I’m really glad people can relate on all levels.”
Aside from being busy with his new music and touring, Walker still values his time with his family and their beloved dogs, which inspired him to partner with Autotrader for National Dog Day on Monday, August 26.
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“We’re dog freaks. I mean, in my house, you know, if you follow me on my socials it’s either kids, my wife or the dogs,” Hayes explained. “[My kids] make fun of us because they say when we get older and they’re out of the house, we’re just gonna have 20-plus dogs. We just love them so much. … Our dogs constantly go with us. They’re on tour with us. They’re in the car with us.”
Walker shared that the National Dog Day — which includes an exclusive Spotify playlist for pet lovers and their pooches — made “total sense” for him and his family.
“They’ve created an incredible playlist to keep dogs comfortable,” he noted. “I’m honored to be a part of it and happy to help people with Autotrader celebrate their dogs.”
With reporting by Mandie DeCamp
