In our last spotlight of 2025, we had to share an artist that we are predicting will have an even bigger 2026. Sean Haywood, who goes by his artist name, Atlus is proving to be a rising star in the making. We chatted with the singer-songwriter about how he got to this place in his career and everything that happened along the way. Keep reading to learn more about his incredible story.

“Music was kind of an escape because things were hard there for a little bit financially, so music was always a way I could put the headphones on or drown out neighbors fighting around me or anything that was going on in the community,” began the singer who grew up on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado. “I grew up with just my mom. My mom and my dad split, and then my mom was taking care of me, my brother, and my sister.”

Despite the shortcomings he experienced, Atlus found himself coping through music. “I think the first thing I remember was that Sarah McLachlan song where you see puppies on TV, and they always seemed so sad. That was the first time I ever felt really sad emotions with my headphones on, and for some reason I had that “I Will Remember You” song on repeat. […] That was the first time I ever cried listening to a song,” he shared, reminiscing about the first time music made him feel.

At an early age, the singer would sing along to songs in the car, but it wasn’t until he was twelve that he tried to hone his vocal gifts. “My dad listened to a lot of country, so for him it was Rascal Flatts, Mark Wills, Phill Vassar. My mom listened to spiritual Christian music, so in terms of artists, artist and people that inspired me, my dad definitely brought country into my life. When I was twelve, I just remember trying to sing every word just like Gary could like in “What Hurts The Most,” and then puberty hit me, and I lost the ability to sing like him,” he shared.

The Turning Point:

Armed with a pure love for music, Atlus rediscovered his sound at around fifteen years old. “I joined a band in high-school with a bunch of buddies, and I thought of how I’d want to do this as a career. I always loved it, but I didn’t always know it could be a career. I love doing it.”

From that point on, music was one of the most important things in his life. When his band split up in his 20s, he was at a crossroads, deciding how he could best pursue this dream that he’s had virtually his whole life. “We were at the point where we were ready to do our own things. It was a fun thing for a while, but it was never really serious, but I still wanted to be really serious about music, so I started Atlus, my solo career.”

Atlus started researching what the greats in the industry were using for their equipment and quickly learned how expensive it truly was, so he decided to rent studio time. “I was driving semi-trucks for a living, and I would drive eight hours a day, pay my bills with that, but then two months into recording, I was going through my life savings, so I picked up a second job, and I threw every dollar from that into the studio.”

Along the way, he released a ton of music, covering songs on Youtube and positing as much as possible for two years before gaining traction. “I ended up having this moment, and then Jelly Roll hit me up and messaged me, and said he loved the music. […] I remember calling him, and I was like, “first off I love you, and I have a hard out in thirty,” because I was on my lunch break from work, and it was probably the craziest thing I ever said in my life. […] He was like “why are you driving trucks, you have a gold record,” and I didn’t really have a good answer for that,” he shard, adding, “He ended up asking who my team was, and at the time, it was two of my homies from high-school who filmed stuff for me to put online, and he basically said he had to introduce me to people, flew me to Nashville, introduced me to my manager, Matt Wallace, and that’s how the whole Nashville thing started.”

Today:

Now, officially a BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville recording artist (and a platinum-sealing artist), Atlus has a full team in his corner, who want to see him take the country music world by storm.

Most recently the singer-songwriter made his major-label debut, releasing his EP, Secondhand Smoke featuring six songs that truly speak to his story. The record’s lead single, “Devil Ain’t Done” impacted country radio earlier this year, debuting among the most added at country radio.

“We heard that instrumental with those drums during a songwriter, and we knew we wanted to write to it. I was having a conversation about my life and the EP, and that song “Devil Ain’t Done,”, if the EP is a house, was kind of like the doorway to get into that house. I think it’s a really easy way to get in to all the other rooms in the house from there. […] In this sense, the devil is kind of my past, and I’m always trying to keep doing the right thing,” shared Atlus.

As far as the project as a whole, the EP is a true introduction to Atlus. “We have an album that will probably come out later next year, but these six songs did a really good job of telling my story, and I want to be able to have conversations about it, and let fans behind closed doors, see how I grew up, and share my relationship with my mom. These six just felt so good at explaining me as a human being,” he shared, adding and remaining fans, “We have a lot more new songs coming, some festivals, and definitely show dates coming, and a lot more personal songs on the later half too – just an album that’s a lot more personal, authentic, and me being myself, more than I’ve ever put out.” Stay tuned!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about future Atlus releases.

To keep up with Atlus follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Atlus’ music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.