Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb Hyles.
Hi Caleb, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Montgomery, AL as a younger brother and the son of two very musical parents. They both had careers in things that were not music (radio and marketing), but the house was always full of music because my Dad is a songwriter and my mother was a performer for community theatre. Music and video games were my two greatest passions as a child, as well as basketball. I know Alabama is known for its football, but basketball was my first love and still is to this day. Obviously, the basketball career didn’t work out, I barely made it through high school, and I still can’t make money playing video games, so I opted to go to college for “media studies”; a broad term for basically anything related to radio, film, and television. Nowadays, you would need to include social media! I was working in sports production during my time in college and doing some singing on the side, a passion I was exploring at the time. One day, my cover of “Let It Go” from Frozen went viral on my YouTube channel, and the rest is history.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have been greatly privileged to not have suffered much in my childhood and throughout a fair bit of my adulthood. I wish for everyone that they might be so fortunate as to have the support, the time, and the motivation to pursue their passions to their logical ends. Of course, no journey is without hardship and I’ve had a few. But to dwell on them is to give them a seat at a table that they are no longer welcome at. They have been replaced with gratitude, determination, and revelation.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter who has been disguised as a professional YouTube cover artist for the past ten years. Wow. Time really is flying by. I’ve always had the performer bug in me, especially growing up in a theatrical family. My brother and I made silly home videos with our friends and were some of the first people making machinima, back when that was a thing. The idea of this being a viable career path really hit after I crossed 300k subs on YouTube. I’m not sure why, but many of us in this field viewed that as like, a tentpole number for having “made it”. Or maybe that was just me. At that point, on that day, I was making more money doing music than I was working sports production. And I believe I quit that job the following semester. Since then, I’ve kind of carved out a niche, vocally, of being the metal-head, musical theatre guy(?) I’m able to be soft and gentle, but also soaring and belt-y (hah). I don’t know if I’d say that makes me proud or that “I’ve arrived”, but it does make me want to continue pursuing becoming better and better at what I do.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’ve always always always been a very careful person. It has terryed into complacency more than once. Honestly, the biggest risks have yet to come, career-wise. I believe it is important to take risks; both calculated and “leaps of faith”. Make sure that your identity/confidence is solid and has a firm foundation. Those big risks will shake you if they don’t fall your way. You will need support. And while I would not describe myself as a “risk taker”, “risk taking” finds you, and you will have to answer the call.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.calebhyles.com
- Instagram: calebhyles
- Facebook: CalebHylesMusic
- Twitter: CalebHyles
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CalebHyles
