Earning one RIAA certification is thrilling for any artist. Earning three in one day? Atlantic Records recording artist Hunter Hayes has a hard time even describing the feeling.
“As a musician, you always hope your songs connect, whether it’s with one person or 100 people or even thousands,” said Hayes. “To know that this many people went out and bought these songs and are playing my music – it’s the best feeling in the world. It means we’re in this together, and I’m so grateful for that.”
The RIAA revealed Wednesday, March 4 that Hayes’ No. 1 smash hit “I Want Crazy” has reached double Platinum, selling more than two million copies since its release. Hayes also received Gold certifications for 500,000 copies sold of “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me” and “Invisible,” which the Louisiana-born singer debuted in one of the most moving performances of the 2014 GRAMMY Awards (earning him a nomination for the 2015 awards).
The news comes during a period of high activity for Hayes. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Country Artist in January, hosted the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony last month and was just named one of YouTube’s Top 50 Artists of 2015 (with 150 million views and counting) for his innovative fan engagement along with Beyonce, Katy Perry, fellow Nashville resident Ed Sheeran and more.
All this is happening as Hayes is creating new music in the studio for impending release and prepares to launch five international shows this month and next before joining Lady Antebellum and Sam Hunt for the Wheels Up Tour 2015 presented by Quicken Loans, starting May 1 in Lubbock, Texas.