Hasting lived in Ohio with his mom, where he went to Milford High School. He also spent time with his dad in Hebron, Kentucky, where he graduated from Conner High School. He attended Northern Kentucky University before deciding to join the military.
Hasting served as an Army Infantryman with the 1st Infantry Division, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry. After surviving 10 gunshot wounds while serving in Afghanistan, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky native turned to music as part of his recovery.
He served in the Army for five years. He was 21 when he joined the military. He was sent to Afghanistan in 2011, and he was shot on April 11 of that same year.
“I joined the United States Army in 2010. Then, I got deployed to Afghanistan, and I was shot in Afghanistan. I was shot 10 times, and somehow, I’m still here. It was an extremely long process just to get to where I am now, but I eventually medically retired from the military in 2015, and I was at Fort Riley at that time. My buddies were going to Fort Campbell, and I decided I wanted to move closer to home anyway, so I followed my buddies to Fort Campbell and I moved there in 2015, after I medically retired from the military, and I fell in love with Nashville. I just knew this is where I needed to be,” said Hasting.
Hasting loved the people and the atmosphere in Nashville. At the time, he was shooting archery with the U.S. Paralympics program.
“I had found archery as a means of escape from the PTSD, the depression and anxiety that I was dealing with. I shot archery for about six years before Covid happened. Then, when Covid happened, I was struggling a lot with the PTSD and the depression and the anxiety, because, you know, when it gets quiet is when the demons knock the loudest, and Covid was extremely quiet,” Hasting said.
“I needed something to get out of my head, and I had a guitar in the corner of my room. One day, I decided to jump on YouTube and I started learning how to play. Then, I did. I deep dove into learning how to play the guitar, and it became an escape for me,” he said.
Growing up in the 1990s, Hasting first learned songs he grew up listening to. Early on, he grew up singing in church, but he said it was always more of a hobby. His dad was a karaoke DJ in Hebron for a long time.
“Every once and a while, I would get up on stage and sing with him, but it was never something that meant anything. It wasn’t the dream. It wasn’t something that I thought I wanted to do. It was just something I did as a hobby. It’s funny, my mom always said that she knew I was in a good place when I was singing, because it was always my happy place,” Hasting said.
What began as a form of healing has grown into a career where Hasting connects with audiences nationwide through his heartfelt songwriting and authentic country storytelling.
“I started learning all of this, and it was great, but I still had feelings and emotions that I was struggling with, and I wanted to be able to take those and put them somewhere. So, I jumped on YouTube, and I started learning how to write songs, how songs were structured and how to go from a verse to a chorus to a bridge, and how it all comes together and makes one piece of work, and that became a new type of escape for me,” Hasting said.
After Covid, the world started opening up on the outskirts of Nashville.
“One day, I decided to go to an open mic night in Cookeville, Tennessee. I thought, ‘Why not?’ I know some songs now, so maybe I’ll go up on stage and play. I got there, and I still wasn’t sure if this is what I wanted to do. There were four people there, and I was like, ‘man, I’ve made a fool out of myself in front of a lot more than four people before, so why not?’ So, I put my name on the list, and I went up on the stage, and I played the first song I ever learned, which was ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy’ by Toby Keith and in that moment, the stage became my sanctuary … in that moment, I knew that this is what I wanted to do forever.”
Then, he started playing frequently on Broadway in Nashville. He said it became therapy for him.
“Being on stage was the only place where I felt in the moment. When you’re struggling with PTSD, anxiety and depression, it is hard to live in a moment, and for me, when I was on stage, I found that. I was able to do that,” Hasting said. “It was amazing. It was everything I needed when I needed it.”
He said through a chance encounter that changed his life, he met Michael Kerr, the son of Black River Entertainment’s President and CEO, Gordon Kerr.
He also caught the attention of Black River’s Vice President of A&R, Doug Johnson, who took him under his wing.
Hasting talked with the label executives about how he used music as a form of therapy, and how he wanted to help people with his music and his story.
“Hopefully, it helps somebody out there in some way, shape or form,” Hasting said. “I want to be able to help other people find what I was able to find in music.”
Readers can learn more about his story in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs documentary, “GRATEFUL: The Scotty Hasting Story.”
Hasting’s latest single “Scars,” released July 11, is a raw reflection on resilience and survival. Drawing from his time in Afghanistan and the wounds he carries, he confronts pain head-on.
“I grew up listening to Merle Haggard and all of the outlaw country artists, and I wanted to write something that was outlawish…We started having a conversation about me getting shot, and the scars that were left, physically, mentally and emotionally, and how I’ve tried to work on myself to where I have pushed past that and continue to push past that, and still to this day, I struggle every day. And somehow, that song came from that conversation,” said Hasting. “I hope that people see that there’s hope.”
Hasting’s debut single, "How Do You Choose," was released in November of 2023, followed by his first EP, I’m America, in May 2024 — a project hailed as a “promising, impactful debut” by Billboard). Later that year, Hasting released a song that marked a turning point during his recovery while at Walter Reed titled, "Til The Last Shot’s Fired" with Lee Brice and Dolly Parton.
He has opened for artists including Lee Brice, Dave Grohl, Chris Janson, Jelly Roll, Craig Morgan, Parmalee, Jason Aldean and Tanya Tucker.
In addition to music, Hasting is committed to supporting fellow Veterans through partnerships with organizations like the PenFed Foundation, CreatiVets, Guitars 4 Vets, Operation Encore and others. He is on a mission to help others find healing through music, inspiring audiences nationwide.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been able to come back home and play. I haven’t had the opportunity to have that homecoming show until now. I’m so beyond excited. That’s home. Cincy is home. That’s where all my friends are. There’s something so special about coming home and being able to play in front of the people that were there before this was a thing. It’s going to be amazing,” Hasting said.
MORE DETAILS
Scotty Hasting will perform at 3 p.m. Nov. 1 at Riverfront Live, 4343 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. Tickets start at $25. For more info or to purchase tickets, go to riverfrontlivecincy.com/tm-event/scotty-hastings.
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