Sam Hunt: One of the Reasons He Moved To Nashville

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

June 5th 12:38 PM

Sam Hunt has been busy touring and, for the first time in a while, has had to skip CMA Fest in Nashville this week.

That doesn’t mean Sam isn’t a huge fan of the 51-year-old festival. As he told us in a recent interview, it’s one of the reasons he moved to Nashville in the first place. He said, “I was here several years ago for the first time for CMA Fest as a fan. I came out to the show, did the full experience, and it really was one of the big reasons I decided to move to Nashville.”

He continued, “It kind of made the idea of being a songwriter more tangible and realistic, and also I fell in love with the city, Nashville, so I knew it’d be a place I’d be happy living, and also because of the music.”

Hunt concluded, “That week here really inspired my move here, and it was a significant part of my life. But since then, I’ve been to every CMA Fest since, I think, and it’s a good week for Nashville.”

Sam launched his “Outskirts Tour 2024” in February, playing shows in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He’ll be touring with stops in Louisville, Nashville, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Knoxville. He wrapped up this latest trek with a show in Charlottesville, Virginia, on April 13th.

The country star says he is a changed man lately, from his new music to his family lifestyle with his wife, Hannah, and two kids. Even his style of dressing on stage has changed from sweatpants and baseball hats to a more dignified style of dress.

He told us in a recent interview, “I think a lot of it is because I have kids. I was telling somebody the other day that I think I’ve come full circle. The way my mom dressed me as a kid coming from the South—it’s just the way adults dress, that’s a big part of it.”

Hunt continued, “Part of it is that early on when I was younger, I wanted to push back on norms and traditions and buck the system a little bit. I think the state of the world now feels more like chaos and less like order that needs to be pushed up against. So I feel the need to order myself more, tuck my shirt in, and dress up.”

Sam concluded, “But part of it is just getting older. I consider myself a country boy. I am from the South, but I’m not the same kind of country that some of my buddies were. I guess I am just finally settling into my roots.”

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

Sam Hunt: Five Of His Best Videos

"Body Like A Backroad" (2017)
It’s hard to believe that Sam Hunt never had an official music video release for his biggest song, which is diamond-certified for moving 10 million units. However, the popular song does have an official lyric video. The video, which has over 27 million views on YouTube, features the song and lyrics over vintage video clips of youngsters doing motocross.
"House Party" (2014)
Two music videos were produced for the song. The first music video premiered in August 2014. The video shows Sam performing at a festival and clips of him playing sports with band members and having fun in various situations with the band on the road.

A second “alternate” music video premiered in June 2015. this video is a little more produced, with Sam singing to the camera and showing him partying and performing at a small Nashville club.
"Break Up In A Small Town" (2015)
The video was shot in Macon County, Tennessee. This dramatic video shows Sam’s acting skills as he works through a tough breakup in a small town, complete with his small house burning. The song was inspired by his breakup with his then-girlfriend Hannah Lee Fowler, whom he has since married and now has two kids.
"Leave The Night On" (2015)
This video won Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2015 CMT Music Awards in Nashville. In the video, Sam sings while he portrays a Yellow Cab driver in Nashville. The video also features his cab passengers, many wearing cowboy hats and drinking, dancing along as Hunt sings the uptempo catchy song.
"Take Your Time" (2015)
The video’s dramatic storyline involves domestic violence. In the video, Sam’s character witnesses several instances of a tattooed man abusing his young girlfriend in public, including at a biker bar and a coin-operated laundry. Together, the two have a baby. Near the end of the video, the woman tries to leave with her baby when the boyfriend comes outside to stop her. When he begins hitting her, Hunt, who happens to be walking by the tattooed man’s house, sees this and begins to fight with the man.