5 Things to Know About Hardy, Country’s Newest Redneck
Hardy is new to the touring game, but the rising country music artist already has a pre-show ritual he just can't get enough of.
"Every night before a show, Morgan (Wallen) slaps the back of my neck — it's kind of our little symbol to stay redneck, by giving each other a red neck," he says, laughing as he thinks of the antics that have occurred on Wallen's If I Know Me Tour.
Hardy is carving his own path as he finds his way in country music. He was first discovered as a songwriter with cuts from Florida Georgia Line, including their smash collaboration with Wallen, "Up Down." He released his debut EP, This Ole Boy, in October of 2018, and he co-wrote all four songs, working with some of the top songwriters in Nashville.
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley from FGL co-wrote the title song with Hardy and Corey Crowder, while Andy Albert and Jordan Schmidt came in on "Rednecker." Schmidt, Crowder and Rodney Clawson helped out on "Throwback," and Ryan Beaver and Nick Donley co-wrote "4X4" with Hardy.
Wanna know a little more about the Philadelphia, Miss., native who will be heading out with Florida Georgia Line on their Can't Say I Ain’t Country Tour this summer?
5 Things That Will Help You Get to Know Hardy:
1. Hardy is from the same hometown as Marty Stuart.
"It was such a cool place to grow up in. Every year we have a massive county fair. In fact, I have a tattoo on my wrist that is the arm admission band that gets you in the fair. It was in the middle of nowhere, but I loved it. It's one of those places you take for granted until you leave."
2. He co-wrote Florida Georgia Line's "Simple."
"Honestly, I remember going to work on that song and someone, I can't remember who, came up with that S-I-M-P-L-E part and we just knew we had something. It was just so different and it stood out so much. That's what made the song. We knew we had a hit."
3. Those glasses don't just make him look cool.
"I got glasses in middle school, and then started wearing contacts in high school, but I ended up hating them. They just became such a chore. I'm a simple person. Now I order my glasses online and that's what I wear. They are basically wooden though, so I end up breaking all of them all of the time."
4. The first song Hardy ever wrote was called "Caroline."
"I always had been into writing and literature, so I wrote a song about meeting a girl at a grocery store. (Laughs.) There were some holes in the plot, but basically, I got her number and then it was wrong. It was totally fictional."
5. He has a new country EP called Where to Find Me, out now.
"I think we are just moving forward in terms of the sound. There is a little R&B and a little bit of country and a lot of rock, and it also is going to have more soul than I have done in the past. I really just sway back in forth because whatever I do, I don’t ever want to be repetitive."
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