Earlier this month, HARDY released his long-awaited 17-song album the mockingbird & THE CROW. While the highly-regarded singer-songwriter saw success with his debut album A ROCK, the brand new record demonstrates HARDY’s talent as a country music singer while simultaneously capturing and introducing fans to his passion for rock music. Recently, the rapidly-rising country-rock artist took to the WWE Royal Rumble, where he went full-out rockstar with a performance of his metal-heavy release, “SOLD OUT.”
According to Taste of Country, HARDY’s performance at the WWE Royal Rumble took place Saturday night (January 28th) in San Antonio, Texas. Per the outlet, “SOLD OUT,” which was released last year, continues to be a live favorite at HARDY concerts. So country music fans in attendance at the Royal Rumble were thrilled to hear it live once more. The 32-year-old artist prefaced the events of the night with his fiery performance.
Later in the evening, additional footage shows HARDY backstage with a reporter when he suddenly runs into a very familiar—and highly intimidating—face: Wrestler Solo Sokoa.
A few weeks ago, HARDY stole the show during Monday Night RAW when he hopped into the ring to come to the defense of wrestler-musician, Elias. HARDY smashed a guitar over Sikoa’s back at the time before retreating into the crowd. New footage shows the country star running away from Sikoa following the brief encounter.
HARDY Earns High Praise From Brantley Gilbert
HARDY isn’t the only country star to dip his toe, or his whole boot for that matter, into rock music. Brantley Gilbert, who released his debut album, A Modern Day Prodigal Son, in 2009, has also demonstrated a passion for the genre. Since then, rock influences have shown through in his music, especially in songs like “Take It Outside” and “Read Me My Rights.” More recently, Gilbert’s found himself working with HARDY while songwriting, and, reflecting on the experience, the 38-year-old star had nothing but positive things to share.
“He’s obviously good at what he does,” Gilbert remarked in an interview earlier this month. “And he does his homework too. It’s not like he’ll just sit down in a room and expect something awesome to happen. He shows up with ideas. I think one of his big strengths is he holds his place in a room.”
Gilbert expanded on that, admitting that when he’s writing songs with others, he can become a bit “overbearing.”
He said, “if I think it’s somethin’ I want to put on my record, I’ll just straight up steal it.”
However, HARDY, if he happens to have a really “solid line,” is not afraid to claim his work. Brantley Gilbert continued, “he’ll stand up for it … he’s not a pushover when it comes to that. But I just feel like he molds into a room well, and he’s a great writer.”