When you combine a GSU student, a successful YouTube musician, and wrap it all up in a goofball, you get local artist Troy Hayes.

Two years ago, Troy started uploading music videos of cover songs to YouTube. Since then, he has gained over six thousand subscribers. He is very active on social media and enjoys interacting with his audience, which he calls his “Hamily”.

Troy produces all of his own music on his guitar, who he named Ezra. Recently he released his own EP called “Sleep”, which has a mellow style that he describes as somewhere between Ed Sheeran and The 1975.

At age seven, Troy learned to play the piano and progressed in middle school with a new found love for the bass along with the formation of his old band, Midnight Memories.

Troy almost gave up on singing completely, after a failed attempt at backing vocals in middle school made his friend tear up from laughing so hard.

Troy revisited singing his senior year of high school when he received a lead role in the play “Bye Bye Birdie”. After that he continued to work on his vocals and began pursuing his dream of making and performing music.

To keep up with Troy’s adventure, follow him on Twitter and Instagram @hthaze, on YouTube at Hamilton Troy Hayes, or on Snapchat at hamhayes94.

Catch Troy and his guitar Ezra perform at Mellow Mushroom every Friday in February.

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Q & A

Q: Do you have any weird rituals before or during performances?

A: “Yeah. Definitely. I definitely do. I scream at the top of my lungs in my car (to a song). I get eight to nine hours of sleep. I drink honey and lemon every day.”

Q: What inspires you?

A: “The 1975. Ed Sheeran. John Mayer. My brother Kevin wrote songs. Seeing how many songs he wrote definitely helped me get out of my shell.”

Q: How do you decide which songs to cover?

A: “I have to like the song. I’ll never cover a song that I don’t genuinely like.”

Q: Tell me about your YouTube success.

A: “It changed my life. Once I started uploading videos, I started meeting people. Its all about networking.”

Q: How often do you play in front of crowds?

A: “Whenever I can. Whenever someone is willing to pay me money. Or food.”

Q: Which musician dead or alive would you like to have dinner with?

A: “Ed Sheeran and Zayn Malik.”

BIO

Name: Hamilton Troy Hayes

Age: 21

Major: Multimedia and Film Production

From: Dunwoody, Ga