Rooted in blue-collar grit and sharpened in Nashville writers’ rooms, John Haywood writes songs that feel lived-in, honest, and earned. His work bridges classic storytelling and modern country, shaped by the road, the round, and the real world.

Since relocating to Nashville in 2021, John has built a reputation in the city’s writers’ round circuit, collaborating with publishers, artists, and songwriters across multiple genres. He released his first two songs as an artist in 2023—Ghost Town in the Sky and Saint—which collectively surpassed 500,000 global streams. Ghost Town in the Sky was also named an NSAI Bob Kingsley Top 40 Song. Later that year, his song Tamed by Tennessee, recorded by Scottish artists Callum Kerr and Chris Andreucci, earned over 5 million global streams within its first six months of release.

In 2024, Haywood made his television debut as front man and lead singer of Gamblers in the Neon on AXS TV’s Banded: The Musician Competition, writing and performing six original songs across eight episodes while working closely with number-one songwriter Justin Wilson and Grammy-winning producer Paul Ebersold. He has performed at the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in consecutive years and was a finalist in Nashville’s Indie Country Showdown.

Most recently, John performed for BMI at the Annapolis Songwriters Festival and is set to appear on the 30th Anniversary lineup of the Key West Songwriters Festival. In support of his two-volume release The Melrose Tapes—a raw collection of iPhone-recorded work tapes—he independently organized and completed a tour spanning four countries, including the U.S., Canada, Scotland, and England.

His live performances span iconic stages such as Nissan Stadium, Nashville Superspeedway, and the legendary Bowery in Myrtle Beach, alongside high-profile events including Whiskey Jam, Nashville Stampede PBR, and the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon Expo.