We recently connected with Clayton Shay and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Clayton, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’d say the biggest risk that I have taken was moving to Nashville to pursue music as a career. I graduated from college with my bachelors degree and was pretty well set up to go into graduate school. But, after meeting with a few of my professors/mentors, I decided to pursue my strongest passion, which is music. Continuing on with school felt like a more guaranteed path to success, but I felt compelled to chase what was calling me. Looking back, I have no regrets. I have a long way to go to be where I want to be, but I have done a lot of cool stuff along the way, and have reached millions of people with my music. That’s all that matters.

Clayton, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been drawn to music for as long as I can remember. I started playing in the bars well before I was allowed to be in them legally. I started to open up for bands that would come through from nashville, and hearing them talk about the music culture down there made me realize that was where I needed to be.

When I first moved to town I was admittedly more lazy than I should have been. It took me a bit to realize that Nashville was a town of hustle. Upon realizing that, I buckled down and got more disciplined. Filling my weeks up with writes, often times 2 a day, and playing downtown on Broadway 4-5 times a week.

I’m about to reach my 7 year anniversary of living in Nashville and while I’ve slowed my schedule down some, I maintain my same level of discipline. Lately, I’ve been prioritizing the music, making sure it feels authentic and like it matters. Rather than jamming my calendar full to the point of burning out, I’m attempting to strategically execute my artistic vision in hopes of reaching the maximum amount of people with my art.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing for me as an artist is when my music connects with someone. Whether it happens at a live show or when the consumer is listening elsewhere, nothing makes me feel more fulfilled than to know my music has reached someone. And I don’t just mean it made it to the ears, but beyond that, made them feel something deep in their soul.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was burning the road down for several years, playing all across the country, in the club scene. We would play shows of 500-1000 typically, to crowds that would be super energetic. Sounds great right? One problem… we were playing covers, and the second that we would slip original music into the set, we would lose the audience. Eventually, this wore on me to the point where I stopped enjoying the live shows. It took doing a handful of shows, and having a terrible time, for me to realize that something had to change. I decided to cut out all cover shows outside of nashville and I’ve been much happier ever since.

There’s nothing wrong with playing cover gigs, I just found myself putting way too much time and attention in the wrong thing. I also didn’t want to blink my eyes and be playing the same cover shows 10 years down the road. Much of my time and attention is now directed at my artistry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.claytonshay.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claytonshaymusic?igsh=aTEyaGpkMmdreXN3&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18eiQQ9HLT/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@claytonshay?si=fOQtvVEh3CYRJ7bQ

Image Credits

Austin Friedline
Mitch Wallis
Ike Everard