For Walker Hayes, living “Fancy Like” means fulfilling his childrens’ Christmas dreams.
Walker reveals that he and his wife Laney‘s six kids have been begging each year to put up inflatable Christmas decorations in the yard. But with the family being on a tight budget at the time, the singer made a specific promise.
“My kids about six years ago, they wanted Christmas blow ups in the yard, and those are expensive. I told them no, and just on a whim to get them off my back, I said, ‘if dad ever gets a number one song on country radio, I’ll get y’all some blow ups,'” the singer recalls.
Those words became reality when Walker scored his first #1 hit with “Fancy Like” earlier this month, celebrating the achievement by fulfilling his kids’ longtime wish, with the front yard of their Nashville home covered with eight holiday-themed inflatables.
“So when it hit number one, they held me to that promise. Even Laney and I have them,” he describes. “Every kid got to pick theirs out. So there’s our first splurge.”
Despite the song’s massive success, Walker admits he’s not likely to make many other extravagant purchases. For years, the family lived on a tight budget while he worked stocking shelves at Costco and was an aspiring songwriter. Knowing what it’s like to struggle for one’s dreams, Walker says he plans to be responsible with his newfound fortune.
“I don’t think we’ll blow money. We know what it’s like for money to be tight, so we’re honestly pretty frugal,” he notes. “But if you drop by our house right now, it’s pretty tacky.”
Walker has also scored his first Grammy nomination, as “Fancy Like” is up for Best Country Song at the 2022 ceremony.
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