Now Hunt is venturing out as a performer as well. Recently signed to MCA Nashville, the Cedartown, Georgia native has just released his debut single, "Leave the Night On." To celebrate that release, Hunt is CBS Radio's Launch artist this week.

With lyrics about new love, fresh music and jeans that fit just right ("Girl, you got the beat right, killin' in your Levis"), a sweet voice and a musical sensibility that unabashedly blends country with influences from pop and R&B, Hunt has crafted a catchy anthem that's built for summer sing-alongs.

"There used to be a very specific divide between genres and styles," Hunt says, explaining the foundation of his sound in a promotional video called Who Is Sam Hunt? that was released late last year. "But the Internet and YouTube and the content that we're all exposed to has blurred those lines."

Hunt played football in college-he was a quarterback, in fact, at both Middle Tennessee State University and University of Alabama at Birmingham. But ultimately music took over, and he found himself in Nashville. His sound, though, was built in part out of his football experience.