written by Stephanie Taylor
Hardy gave the commencement address at his (and my) alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University.
Colleges should have songwriters talk at every graduation, because wow. Hardy left that graduating class with some very moving words that should stick with them.
He talked about the importance of working hard in your career and saying yes to new opportunities.
There is a very big chance that none of that would have happened if I had not said yes to my friend Morgan Wallen back in 2016. My point is this: Don’t be afraid to say yes to an opportunity just because you don’t think you will see an immediate result. You never know where your successes will come from. Take a chance on yourself
The singer-songwriter also talked about knowing when to say no, dealing with imposter syndrome, and putting your mental health first.
If your gut is ever telling you to stand up for yourself, go with your gut every single time. And when you do that, you gain pride, and when you gain pride you gain self-confidence, and self-confidence is fuel for success.”
HARDY graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a bachelor of science degree in 2013. He studied songwriting in the university’s Recording Industry Management program. Since graduation, he has written, co-written and/or appeared on 15 No. 1 singles, including chart-toppers “Up Down” with Morgan Wallen and Florida Georgia Line, “God’s Country,” by Blake Shelton, “Beers On Me” with Dierks Bentley and BRELAND , “Single Saturday Night” by Cole Swindell and “Wait In The Truck” featuring Lainey Wilson.
Give it a listen!
- Hardy’s mom was always supportive of his songwriter dreams but said he had to graduate college before going to work in Nashville.
