Creativity Quote by Dave Haywood

Roots are both a comfort blanket and a marketing problem, and Dave Haywood knows it. “We have our roots in country, and that’s our foundation, but we pull from a lot” is the kind of line artists use when they’re trying to keep two audiences in the room at once: the gatekeepers who want authenticity and the broader, streaming-era crowd that rewards hybridity.

The phrasing does a lot of quiet work. “Roots” and “foundation” signal legitimacy, almost like a deed of ownership: we belong here, we didn’t just drop in for the radio format. It’s a defensive move against the perennial accusation that country-pop is cosplay. Then comes the pivot: “but we pull from a lot.” “Pull” is softer than “borrow” or “steal”; it suggests craft, curation, taste. It frames cross-genre influence as intentional artistry, not dilution.

In context, this is essentially a mission statement for modern Nashville, where “country” is less a strict sound than a brand boundary negotiated in real time. Haywood, as part of a mainstream act, is speaking from inside a genre that has always absorbed outside styles (rock, R&B, hip-hop) while periodically pretending it hasn’t. The subtext: evolution is inevitable, and we’d like credit for doing it with respect. It’s also a subtle permission slip to fans: you can like the twang and the synths. You don’t have to pick a team anymore.