Since releasing his debut album, “A Rock,” in 2020, HARDY has steadily built a name for himself as a country music singer. However, his career in the genre actually began several years before he ever released his own singles. Before he was cranking out hits for himself, HARDY made a name for himself helping other artists reach the top of the charts.
As Country 102.5 reported, the singer first made an impact on the industry helping to write songs for Florida Georgia Line. However, he also penned hits for several other well-known singers.
HARDY Brought a Massive Blake Shelton Hit to Life
GettyBlake Shelton has recorded some incredible hits in his day, and “God’s Country” is arguably one of his best. There were several writers behind this song, including renowned songwriters Devin Dawson, Jordan Schmidt, and, of course, HARDY. In an interview with CMT, the singer shared how this Shelton classic came to life.
As HARDY explained, he had been toying with the idea for a song called “God’s Country” for a little while, but hadn’t quite figured out how to write it. He was also inspired by spending time in nature on a piece of property owned by his family. Joining forces with Dawson and Schmidt quickly brought the song to life. “We wrote it in like an hour,” HARDY said. “It just sort of spilled out.”
Shelton fell in love with the song immediately, and it only took two weeks from when he first heard the song for it to end up on the radio. As Billboard shared, “God’s Country” became Shelton’s 26th number-one Billboard hit. In 2020, Taste of Country Reported that the song even earned Shelton an ACM Single of the Year award.
He Helped Morgan Wallen Go Platinum
GettyMorgan Wallen and HARDY have a longstanding partnership, and the singer took to Instagram in April 2025 to announce that HARDY would be part of the collaboration line-up for his newest album, “I’m The Problem.” However, the pair first joined forces nearly a decade ago on the song “Up Down,” which HARDY co-wrote with CJ Solar and Brad Clawson. According to the RIAA, the song was certified platinum five times over.
The success of “Up Down” is part of what drove HARDY to make the leap from songwriter to singer, and he told The Boot how he felt about the transition in 2018. “It’s a very different pace from just being a songwriter,” he said. The singer further shared that he was thrilled to have been able to expand his talent, and that the support of his record label was instrumental in him successfully doing so.
He Collaborated With Carrie Underwood on “Hate My Heart”
GettyAs Carrie Underwood geared up to work on her ninth studio album, “Denim and Rhinestones,” she joined forces with HARDY to write “Hate My Heart,” a song about someone who wishes they could move on after a breakup. In a behind-the-scenes video from a recording studio, Underwood spoke fondly of working with the songwriter.
“It’s just nice every once in a while to team with people,” Underwood said. “To get a fresh sense of things from somebody who’s crushing it.” Hillary Lindsey and David Garcia also joined the song-writing dream team for the song, which hit number 20 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
HARDY Wrote a Song With Kenny Chesney in Mind
GettyIn an interview with Taste of Country, singer Kenny Chesney shared how he found out that HARDY had written a song for him: via text message. As Chesney explained: “I was sitting in front of my computer one day, and I got a text from Hardy. He goes, ‘Me and couple guys wrote this with you in mind, would you mind listening to it?'”
That song was “Take Her Home,” which Chesney released as a single in 2023. As Billboard later reported, the track went on to become the singer’s 33rd number-one hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Chesney told Billboard: “I’m honored to have this No. 1, but I’m also glad all the people living regular lives got to see themselves in ‘Take Her Home.'”
The Singer has Won Multiple Songwriting Awards
GettyHARDY’s songwriting skills definitely haven’t gone unnoticed. For instance, as HARDY’s official website shared, he won Songwriter of the Year at the 2022 BMI Country Awards. However, that was just one of several accolades he won that year, which also included an ACM Songwriter of the Year award and a similar honor from AIMP.
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HARDY Wrote These Hit Songs for Other Country Music Artists