Up and coming musical artist Sawyer Hill is about to start his next world tour fresh off the release of his latest album, “Everybody’s Home, Nobody’s Happy.” Known for singles like “High on my Lows” and his cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” Hill has struck his suddenly booming fandom with the recent Aug. 21 drop of his latest album.
Born Aug. 15, 1999 in Siloam Springs Arkansas, Hill spent the majority of his youth there and in Fayetteville.
Before becoming famous for his music, Hill worked as a lab assistant that dealt with the disposal of amputated body parts. In an interview with HoneyDew Podcast, Hill shares that he even had to dispose of his own grandfather’s leg, “I took my own grandpa’s leg to the leg freezer… I used to bounce on that knee, he used to dress up as Santa Claus and I would bounce on that knee as a kid.” It wasn’t until he got fired from this job that Hill pivoted his focus fully onto his music and chose to “stop sleepwalking through life.”
In Hill’s first album, “Heartbreak Hysteria,” released just a year ago in 2025, he sings almost entirely about going through the motions with a partner, as well as, partying and riding the turbulent emotions that come along with navigating one’s early 20s and blossoming into stardom.
The album’s genre walked a unique line between alternative rock and 90s’ grunge. Since that album’s release, Hill’s career has taken off, helped along greatly by his stint as the opening act for YUNGBLUD.
In his latest album, Hill breaks out of the introspection, youthful confusion and angst of his first album. Instead he contrasts those themes by sharing new perspectives centered around a bittersweet longing for home and healing from the heartbreak. He pivots frustrations from his personal life to how political choices are impacting his home, redirecting the angst into pointed rage.
The genre and tone of not just his music but also voice, has evolved into a more outlaw country sound. The rock and roll is not lost but strengthened by the grit and tethered to his background with blues. Popular single “Jimmy’s Gone Numb” is the perfect example of this, giving listeners a story of a character named Jimmy who is dealt a bad hand when pursuing the American Dream. This type of song, for me, harkens back to country singer legends like Cash and Kenny Rogers, who used their music to tell stories and give social commentary of the times.
In this album, Hill also pays significant homage to his home state in not just his lyrics but also his music videos. He elected to stay as local as possible to Fayetteville, and work with community talent, often partnering with RockHill Studios. These videos display the state’s flag and local dive bars, neighborhoods and farm land from around his home state.
Track 10 “Lady Arkansas” specifically captures this homesickness, as Hill personifies his home state as if it were a she, his first love and therefore, strongest love, despite his frequent trips to California. “I’ll be on you like a moth on a light. You know that California got nothing on you / Lord knows I’m coming back to you. Lady Arkansas, I’ll be home soon.”
For me, however, the best track on this album is “Bad Lovers.” It fills the role of bridging his two albums together, closing the chapter on the lovers from the last album. It’s relatable, and its bouncy chantlike chorus is very reminiscent of the energy one is met with when sitting in an old dive bar singing their heart out with a group of strangers, who despite it all, resonate and relate to the emotions of moving on from a past love.
Hill’s tour starts Sept. 23 in Atlanta, but if you are interested in getting to see him live before his fandom grows even larger, you can still get tickets to his show in San Francisco on Oct. 20, before he heads to Los Angeles then San Diego.