As screens and the advancement of technology continue to dominate our daily lives, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of staying present and making genuine memories offline. In an effort to tackle this ongoing challenge, HARDY has teamed up with UScellular as part of the “Life in US Mode” initiative to encourage his fans to disconnect technology and prioritize authentic connections.
In speaking with Country Now exclusively about this partnership, HARDY revealed he is proud to be an advocate and join the fight in helping minimize the number of digital distractions in the modern age. By taking advantage of UScellular’s US Mode setting on your phone, users have the power to regain control of notifications and limit online interruptions, allowing the user to refocus their attention on what matters most.
“I think that too much technology, too much phone time, too much screen time is ironically dividing us when it was sort of meant to bring us closer together,” he explained. “And I love the initiative to encourage people to take a break and enjoy the earth and the world and people with our eyes and with our brain, and I just love it. I think it’s a great message. I think that there is absolutely zero harm to putting the screen down and I’m here for that.”
HARDY Admits To Giving Into The Lure Of Online Distractions
With the world at our fingertips, it can be difficult to live in the present moment and not experience it through the screen on your phone. Even the country superstar says that he’s guilty of giving into the need to capture everything online vs enjoying it with his own eyes.
“It’s funny, I even almost have said to a fault before, ‘I should have taken more pictures or I should have taken more videos.’ But I’ve just always appreciated making a memory and really soaking a moment in and taking a moment in and having it up here as opposed to a digital representation, if you will. I just think it’s important,” he added.
UScellular’s mission is clearly aligned with HARDY’s real-life, which we hear in his song “Screen” off 2023’s country/rock album, the mockingbird & THE CROW. The hard-hitting tune offers an honest depiction of this generation’s desire to stay inside and interact through “a good-for-nothing cellphone screen,” instead of getting outside and doing things like playing baseball or enjoying a sunrise.
“I think that these days, including myself, I think people of all ages, it’s such a routine or a hidden dopamine hit or it’s such a…habit. I even find myself closing out of Instagram and then just opening Instagram back up because it’s such a routine,” he admitted. “It’s just so easy these days to pull out your phone and be entertained, and I think that that’s the hardest part with people these days.”
Working To Maintain Healthy Habits In Preparation For Becoming A First-Time Dad
This habit is something HARDY is trying hard to break, especially now that he and his wife, Caleigh are preparing to become embark on their adventure as first-time parents. They are taking the necessary steps to become the best versions of themselves and establish healthy routines in anticipation of their baby girl arriving next month.
“Caleigh and I are very good about, ironically, if we’re watching a TV show, which is still screen, but if we’re watching TV or if we’re spending time together when we’re going to bed and we wake up in the morning, we are both very conscious of phone time. Dinner is a big one. I’m really proud of us. We’ve both done really, really good about the phone doesn’t even come out of the pocket at dinner, and I’m really, really excited,” he shared with pride.
A Look Into Their Parenting Style
When it comes to their plans for parenting, Mississippi native said they will strive to stay away from the convenient solution of putting a screen in front of a child to keep them quiet and distracted. Instead, they hope to give their child a similar upbringing to theirs, one that involves getting outside, being active and feeding their creativity without the assistance of a digital device.
“I’m just an old soul and I’m old school in a lot of ways. And Caleigh, I wouldn’t say she’s old school, but she has a very good head on her shoulders as far as being prepared and knowing how easy it is to give a kid an iPad just for them to shut up and just be quiet in the corner. And we both just have a really good head on our shoulders about that. And so we are prepared to not let that happen in the future. I’m really excited for that…falling down, getting hurt, all the stuff that we did and we turned out alright,” HARDY joked.
Staying Connected With Fans Both On And Offline
Aside from his personal life, HARDY has been blessed with the extra challenge of getting to connect with fans all over the world through his music and since he can’t be everywhere at once, social media has become a great tool in building those connections. However, even with the ease of engaging online, HARDY still believes that the real experiences are the ones that matter the most.
“You just hear all these stories about like, ‘oh, I met so-and-so at the airport and he was so nice and he took off his necklace and gave it to me.’ And those moments are so much cooler and will be so much cooler in 50 years than ‘so-and-so responded to my dm.’ You know what I mean? I just think that those real-life moments are so much cooler for the fan. Not that people don’t get excited in that. It’s so easy for me to say ‘thanks brother,’ on a message or something like that. And I do that all the time, but I’m a firm believer in, again, just a real human interaction. It’s way cooler to me.”
HARDY’s VIP Fan Experience Sweepstakes
As part of UScellular’s “Life in US Mode” campaign, one lucky fan will get the chance to experience that genuine in-person connection HARDY prefers through the VIP Fan Experience Sweepstakes. One winner and their guest of choice will receive an all-expenses paid trip to see the five-time Academy of Country Music Awards winner and two-time Country Music Association Award winner perform live this summer. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will give the listener a close-up look at the exciting new show HARDY has in store for 2025.
“I hope that it’s really cool. I’ve never done anything like this either, so I’m really excited for somebody to get that experience,” HARDY shared before hinting at what to expect from his new tour in the works. “It’s a brand-new set. We’re playing new music and everything is out of order and in a different order, and it feels like a very, very new set. So whoever gets this thing, it’ll be a really great. If they have seen me, it’ll be something very different than they’ve seen before. And if not, then I pride myself in my live show and I work really hard on it, and I make sure that the people that come to the live show get what they pay for. I think it’s very important.”
He confidently added that he can “guarantee satisfaction” for the lucky listener as he promises they will truly enjoy the entire experience. To learn more about how to enter the VIP sweepstakes, visit HERE.
The fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States launched its ongoing “Built For US” campaign in February 2023 as a way to inspire everyone to take a break from screen time. On January 8, HARDY joined the Life in US Mode series, which runs through March 16. This initiative has previously tapped other renowned musical artists such as Alanis Morissette and Chase Rice, to help lead the conversation around redefining healthy digital connection.
In addition to providing a strong, reliable network coverage to customers, the Chicago-based carrier continues to encourage everyone to take a reset moment from technology and has provided initiatives, programs and tools to help at UScellular.com/BuiltforUs.
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