HARDY has rightfully become one of the most recognized names in country music. However, before he was an artist in his own right, he was known as Michael Hardy, a songwriter in Nashville penning songs for some of the genre's top artists.
He's remained loyal to his songwriting roots, continuing to write for both himself and other country stars — often spawning a hit single. First establishing his chops as a primary co-writer for Morgan Wallen (with over 15 cuts across Wallen's albums), HARDY has amassed 16 No. 1 songs throughout his career, including four as an artist.
HARDY's work has also earned multiple industry accolades, with five Academy of Country Music Awards and two Country Music Association Awards as of press time; he took home both Songwriter of the Year and Artist-Songwriter of the Year at the former in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He's also won three CMA Triple Play awards, which goes to writers who penned three No. 1 songs in a 12-month period.
Even those who haven't worked with HARDY recognize his talents, including his musical hero, Eric Church. "In my opinion, he's one of the greatest songwriters Nashville has, that's ever held a pen," Church said at the 2025 ACM Honors, where HARDY presented him with the Icon Award.
Perhaps the Mississippi native's secret to success is his humility. "I'm relieved because I've always wanted to do it and go for it," he once told The Boot of balancing a career as an artist and a songwriter. "I just found the right opportunity and was lucky and had Big Loud [Records] on my side."
The country star may add more stats to his resume with the release of his fourth studio LP, COUNTRY! COUNTRY!, out now. In honor of the new album, take a look at some country hits you may not have known were co-written by HARDY.
"Up Down" — Morgan Wallen feat. Florida Georgia Line
Now known for co-writing some of Morgan Wallen's biggest hits including "Sand In My Boots" and "More Than My Hometown," HARDY first formed his relationship with Wallen when the Tennessee-born star was still an up-and-coming artist. He secured multiple cuts on Wallen's debut album, 2018's If I Know Me, including the Florida Georgia Line collab "Up Down."
Marking both Wallen and HARDY's first No. 1s on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, the success of "Up Down" helped catapult both Wallen's career as an artist and HARDY's as a songwriter. And while HARDY's seven contributions to If I Know Me cemented his songwriting partnership with Wallen, "Up Down" helped kickstart HARDY's relationship with Florida Georgia Line, too.
"Simple" — Florida Georgia Line
Just before "Up Down" reached the top spot at country radio in June 2018, Florida Georgia Line released "Simple" as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Can't Say I Ain't Country. The duo co-wrote the track alongside HARDY and Mark Holman, and as HARDY told The Boot at the time, the session was as simple as the song's title (and spelled-out hook) suggests: "It's fun to just dial back and think, 'Okay, how simple can we make this lyric?'"
While "Simple" was the album's biggest hit — also reaching No. 1 on both the Country Airplay and Mediabase charts — HARDY co-wrote eight songs on Can't Say I Ain't Country. With Florida Georgia Line being one of the top country acts at the time, "Simple" was further proof that HARDY's career had only just begun.
"God's Country" — Blake Shelton
In the fall of 2018, HARDY released THIS OLE BOY, his debut EP as an artist, which featured his first single, "REDNECKER." Just a few months later, Blake Shelton delivered "God's Country" — and took HARDY's career as a songwriter to the next level.
Along with topping Billboard's Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts (the latter of which for seven weeks), "God's Country" marked HARDY's first song to receive major award recognition. The gritty track earned HARDY Song of the Year nominations at the 2019 CMAs and the 2020 ACMs; it was named Single of the Year at both shows.
"God's Country" opened doors for HARDY's artist career, too. The single's success helped his 2019 collaborative mixtape, HIXTAPE VOL. 1, go from a four-song EP to a 10-song project featuring 17 country superstars including Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett and Joe Diffie.
"Single Saturday Night" — Cole Swindell
By May of 2020, HARDY was on his way to his first country No. 1 as an artist with his Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson team-up, "One Beer." And thanks to Cole Swindell, another track soon joined the climb: "Single Saturday Night."
The lead single to Swindell's fourth studio album, STEREOTYPE, was one of five that HARDY co-wrote on the LP (including their duet "Down to the Bar"). Along with notching another co-written No. 1 for HARDY, "Single Saturday Night" was one of the songs that helped him earn the honor of Songwriter of the Year at the 2022 BMI Country Awards.
"Praise The Lord" — BRELAND feat. Thomas Rhett
With several No. 1s under his belt by 2022, it's no surprise that HARDY was one of several chart-topping songwriters for BRELAND's debut album, Cross Country. Alongside BRELAND and Thomas Rhett, HARDY penned "Praise The Lord" with GRAMMY winners and nominees David Garcia, Jessie Jo Dillon and Julian Bunetta, as well as other key country writers Rocky Block, Jacob Durrett and Kyle Fishman. The high energy, gospel-tinged song was a different sound than a majority of the music HARDY had previously written for other artists at that point, showcasing his proficiency and versatility.
"Hate My Heart" — Carrie Underwood
While HARDY's songwriting cuts have been primarily recorded by male artists, he had back-to-back singles with two of country's biggest female artists. Two months after HARDY released "wait in the truck" with Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood unveiled "Hate My Heart" as the second single from her ninth album, Denim & Rhinestones.
In addition to Garcia and Underwood, his co-writers included another powerhouse female, three-time GRAMMY-winning songwriter Hillary Lindsey. "Hate My Heart" scored Underwood another Top 20 hit at country radio; she said in a statement that HARDY "brought a cool vibe and an energy to the track."
"Church" — Jelly Roll
Continuing his streak of successful writes with David Garcia, HARDY joined forces with him for another first-time collaboration, this time with Jelly Roll. The trio wrote "Church," a cut from Jelly Roll's debut album, 2023's Whitsitt Chapel. While it didn't become a single, the poignant track shows another side of HARDY's songwriting and storytelling talents, helping Jelly Roll share his personal testimony of redemption.
"Take Her Home" — Kenny Chesney
After landing No. 1 songs for country vets like Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley, HARDY set his sights on a Kenny Chesney cut with 2023's "Take Her Home." And upon writing the song with Zach Abend and Hunter Phelps, all HARDY had to do was text the six-time GRAMMY-nominated superstar.
"I knew it was a song that I had been looking for for a while, and that was obviously very well done," Chesney told Taste of Country, recalling HARDY's text about "Take Her Home." "I knew that it had a really good chance of resonating with my audience."
It did indeed. With its deep sense of nostalgia and storytelling reminiscent of 2000s country, "Take Her Home" landed Chesney his record-extending 33rd No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart — and scored HARDY yet another No. 1 as a songwriter.
"Missin' You Like This" — Post Malone feat. Luke Combs
Post Malone's first album in the country genre included collaborations from a long list of country hitmakers, which of course included HARDY. And along with co-writing and featuring on "Hide My Gun," HARDY also brought his songwriting chops to one of Malone's two team-ups with Luke Combs, "Missin' You Like This."
The yearning breakup song saw HARDY collaborate with more all-star songwriters, Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Ryan Vojtesak, and James McNair (as well as Combs and Malone). While it may not have been a single on the album, "Missin' You Like This" showed a more vulnerable side of HARDY's writing abilities.
"Jesus Loves You" — Cody Johnson
A deep cut on Cody's Johnson's Leather album, HARDY helped pen "Jesus Loves You" with Mark Holman and Chase McGill. The song's title is reminiscent of the children's church song, but it's actually about a man visiting jail to see a robber that broke into his house; the surprise twist offered another display of HARDY's trademark ingenuity.
Just weeks before Leather won Album of the Year at the 2024 CMA Awards, Johnson delivered a deluxe version of the LP. Featuring another HARDY co-write, "How Do You Sleep At Night?," Leather Deluxe Edition hinted that HARDY continues to impress country's biggest names — and he's not slowing down anytime soon.