It’s been a long road for Walker Hayes to make it to the top at country radio, but this week, he finally scored his first No. 1 hit with his viral “Fancy Like.”
Released as part of his newest EP, Country Stuff, over the summer, “Fancy Like” tells the real-life story of Hayes’ and his family’s more modest version of the finer things in life: Namely, a night out at Applebee’s.
It became a grassroots hit on TikTok after the singer and his teenage daughter, Lela, choreographed a dance to go along with the song. As the views, streams and downloads began to stack up, the restaurant chain itself took notice, including “Fancy Like” in one of their commercials. Pop star Kesha also lent her voice to a remix, and the song only continued to grow from there.
Hayes’ song has become larger than life, but as he celebrated its new No. 1 status, he made sure to thank the people who helped inspire it and those who have supported him from the earliest days of his career: His family, and in particular, his wife, Laney.
The singer shared a celebratory post on social media, with a smiling photograph of himself and Laney together in their home. “17 years, 7 kids, 4 dogs, 2 gerbils, 3 record labels, 4 publishing deals, 3 managers, 1,000 heartbreaks and 1 number one song. Was it worth it? Hell yes,” Hayes writes in the caption:
In a press release announcing the chart news, Hayes also reflected on his gratitude to the country music community. “Country radio, you hung the moon. This is the ‘we did it’ moment for Laney and me,” he says. “No matter what I say, you won’t be able to know how grateful I am. Thank you for a hundred chances … now I’m Fancy Like #1!”
“Fancy Like” became a historic hit back in October, leaping from No. 17 into the Top 10 on the Mediabase Country Chart in a single week. It was the first song to do so in 17 years. The song has also made it to the top of streaming and sales charts, spending 17 weeks (and counting!) in the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Hayes’ victory lap continues in January 2022, when he’ll kick off the Fancy Like Tour, which is set to run through April and feature opening act MacKenzie Porter. Tickets for the shows are on sale now.