Sam Hunt

“It wasn't in the cards to work out in football.”

“People throw things at me sometimes, at big festivals.”

“I'm going to put music out when I feel like it's ready.”

“It wasn't until I was 18, when I was graduating high school, that I went and bought a guitar on a whim.”

“From the pop side, people like Usher, and when they first came out, I listened to guys like K-Ci and JoJo; that '90s R&B thing really caught my ear.”

“In a small town, it's either sports or a band with your buddies. I was always athletic. But in college, I was exposed to all this new music, and I was drawn to hip-hop and R&B.”

“Once it's out there in the universe, it's serving its purpose, and I'm proud to have other folks hear the music that I was a part of making.”

“When somebody's never heard you, that's the way to do it: Just give them music for free and let them decide for themselves if they like it or not.”

“Fortunately, the music from the first record really connected with people, and I was really proud of that.”

“Traditionally, music has been a means of separating ourselves as people from another group of people.”

“I never thought of myself as a performer or songwriter or singer.”

“I wrote a song several years ago while I was in college called 'Muscadine Wine.' I really didn't know if it had potential or not, if it was good or bad or what. I played it for my roommates - who I played ball with - one night, and I knew they would tell me the truth. They loved it, and that encouraged me.”

“I was able to really see that connection as a football player where success requires a lot of hard work and effort, physically and mentally.”

“Football sometimes is stressful. Music is more of a kind of laid-back type, chilled-out kind of activity. It kind of keeps me balanced, I guess.”

“I was a product of the relationships with my family, the environment I grew up in; all those things I kind of put on the back burner when I got into music, and my life all changed dramatically.”

“I'm not really a piano player, but I play enough to get away with it.”

“I've tried to work really hard on never phoning in the lyrics.”

“Putting out music as it's made, versus holding it until an album's finished, allows me to be more timely and maintain balance.”

“I think that people in general appreciate honesty and not trying to cook something up just to fit a mold that would be beneficial for you. I never made music like that.”

“There wasn't really a song or artist that made me want to be a singer, I think I was always a fan of country music.”