Hunter Hayes, courtesy.

Singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes has been making music for nearly 15 years, but his latest project is arguably his most exciting and most personal. Red Sky is the first album Hayes has made since leaving Warner Nashville, and that journey inspired much of the process. Hayes and his team moved into a compound in Topanga, Calif. where they crafted most of the album.

“To quote one of my favorite bands, it was the adventure of a lifetime,” Hayes said. “I wanted to grow as a music maker, as a writer, as a producer, and I knew I couldn’t do that from where I was standing. I knew I had to get out of Nashville. Then I found this place in California and really leaned into the newness of it, which allowed me to clear the slate and figure out the version of myself that I wanted to wholeheartedly be.”

Much of this venture was inspired by a look inward, which Hayes documents through the songs on Red Sky. Without having to meet expectations from any labels (before Warner, he was previously on Atlantic Nashville), Hayes was able to do a lot of work internally while making this album. At first, he said it seemed daunting because he had to learn how to trust himself to make those decisions. He also had to kick a lot of old misconceptions about his ability to do this sort of high-level work. And then, as he explained, it because a “process of ownership.”

Ownership took on a new meaning for Hayes as he mined a myriad of personal sources for songs like “About A Boy” and “Wallflower.” The latter might sound like it’s about a date, but it was actually about a dinner the artist had with someone in the music industry.

“I really wanted to write an anthem for people who identified with being a wallflower and the only way I could write that song was by telling the story of this uncomfortable dinner that I had in which someone made me feel so small,” he said. “There are actually several songs on the project that are about the industry because that was the only way I knew how to write about it.”

Hunter Hayes is not new to writing music about the struggles of identity and emotion. One of favorite personal songs, “Invisible,” wasn’t a chart-topper, but connected with many listeners.

“The life of that song far exceeded my expectations,” he said. “‘Invisible’ taught me that I should be honest with my fans, because the amount of conversations I still have with people about that song showed me how important that vulnerability is. That vulnerability has become a part of my brand now that I really embrace and love.”

Along those lines, Hayes said he wants his fans to listen to the album and find themselves within it.

“There was a lot of talking about feelings on this album and really getting to, not just build a character, but listen to the parts of the story that want to be told and not finish the story for each person,” he said. “It’s going to mean something different to every person and I’m stoked for that.”

The writing process led to an abundance of stories to tell, and Hayes said said he began to feel an attachment to the literary archetype of the hero’s journey for guidance. He referred to some songs as being related in various ways, such as siblings, or offshoots. But others have shared characters that connect the songs together. 

“Once you see the ‘movie’, all of the side quests make sense,” he said. “I’ll be playing songs on the tour that didn’t necessarily make the album.”

Hunter Hayes will be hitting the road in May. It’s been a minute since he’s toured, but it’s one of the things he’s missed the most.

“My spirit lives for touring. I started building the show months ago and I’ve been working with three different tour designers to create a show that really allows me to show up as me and be vulnerable and connect with people,” he said.

Follow writer Piper Westrom at Twitter.com/plwestrom.