{"id":14794,"date":"2025-07-29T03:05:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T20:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14794"},"modified":"2025-07-29T03:05:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T20:05:21","slug":"how-scotty-hasting-turned-his-wounds-to-songwriting-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14794","title":{"rendered":"How Scotty Hasting Turned His Wounds to Songwriting Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Scotty Hasting has survived 10 bullets at point-blank range as an Army officer in Afghanistan, so it would seem safe to assume that nearly every challenge thrown in front of him today as a musician would pale in comparison\u2014even singing on Nashville\u2019s grandest stage.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not to say that Hasting doesn\u2019t still get a bit of the nerves when his name is called to perform the Grand Ole Opry. After all, his 2024 performance came less than five years after learning how to play guitar. At the same time he had to retrain his body to work as a left-hander, the result of the bullets shredding the nerves that helped his right hand function.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think when you get nervous it just means you care,\u201d Hasting explains. \u201cI\u2019ve been shot at. I used to live in a world where I\u2019d get shot at all the time. So yes, I may get nervous, but not enough to ever stop me from going out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Each morning Hasting wakes up and has the privilege to work on his newfound art is a win\u2014a gift that wasn\u2019t guaranteed after being shot 10 times while on routine duty in Kandahar in April 2011. Today, the Purple Heart recipient is now collecting other W\u2019s\u2014\u201cWow\u201d moments\u2014during this improbable career turn to country music.<\/p>\n<p>What began at a Tennessee open mic in front of just four people and has since taken him to not only the Opry but to Normandy, France during D-Day commemorations and the West Lawn during this past year\u2019s Memorial Day celebrations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time I\u2019m on a stage, I\u2019m like, how am I here?\u201d he admits. \u201cFrom the Opry to the West Lawn during Memorial Day\u2014that was insane. There have just been so many moments where I\u2019m like, how am I here? It\u2019s been full of huge moments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Soon, the music world is sure to catch on to this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/scottyhastingmusic\/\">breakout artist<\/a> and his unique blend of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/riley-green-has-built-a-home-gym-and-a-music-empire\/\"> country music. <\/a>\u00a0His work has been inspired by what he has seen and survived during war as well as the mental health struggles that follow him and most veterans who return home.<\/p>\n<p>His latest song, <a href=\"https:\/\/songwhip.com\/scottyhasting\/scars2025\">\u201cScars,\u201d<\/a> dropped earlier this month, reflects on those moments and how he constantly works to come out stronger and thriving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI started music as therapy for me,\u201d he says. \u201cI never thought in a million years that this would become a career, or that it would be where it is now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To say a music career was the plan all along would be a stretch, Hasting admits. Learning to play guitar\u2014while having no feeling in his right hand\u2014started as physical rehabilitation during COVID. It\u2019s then blossomed into a therapeutic treatment to stay occupied in order to alleviate the stress that comes with PTSD\u2014something he says he still struggles with.<\/p>\n<p>And while Hasting\u2019s rise in Nashville has become a second-chance-in-life dream come true, the Cincinnati native\u2019s quest to improve his physical and mental health\u2014both in the gym and recording studio\u2014is going to be a lifelong affair. At the same time, his new platform allows him to spread the message of hope and purpose among fellow former servicemembers struggling.<\/p>\n<p>For Scotty Hasting, it\u2019s always been about leaving no one behind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was playing six nights a week for four hours at a time,\u201d Hasting says. \u201cFor those four hours, the PTSD, the depression, the anxiety\u2014it was all gone, and I lived for it. To this day, when I\u2019m onstage, it\u2019s like therapy happening right there. It\u2019s incredible. Now I have a platform to help others find what I was able to find.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:66.726780883679%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Scotty-Hasting_Grand-Ole-Opry-20250520-8394-e1753319408290.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" alt=\"Scotty Hasting\" width=\"1109\" height=\"740\" data-fallback-img=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Scotty-Hasting_Grand-Ole-Opry-20250520-8394-e1753319408290.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"credit\">Black River Entertainment<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Scotty Hasting\u2019s Price for Country Music Success: 10 Bullets<\/h3>\n<p>As a country music artist, Scotty Hasting admits he\u2019s not quite yet a household name among country music fans.. Still, he\u2019s enjoying every minute of the ride since being signed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackriverent.com\/\">Black River Records<\/a> in October 2023. His ascension in the Music City still oftentimes leaves him shaking his head in disbelief at how far his name has traveled in country music circles in such a short time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was actually talking to someone the other day, and they said, \u2018Oh yeah, Garth Brooks was talking about you the other day,\u2019\u201d he recalls. \u201cI was like, what? Hold on a second. Garth Brooks was talking about <em>ME<\/em> the other day? Let\u2019s just take a moment to think about what you just said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a way, there may not be a Scotty Hasting the country artist without April 21, 2011, when he was known as U.S. Army Sergeant Scott Hasting. On that day, as he explained on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5B9WOv9rTHs&amp;t=639s\">recent podcast,<\/a> he and his team set out on a routine patrol mission in Kandahar\u2014an assignment he took with great pride each day. The squad noticed an older man wandering back and forth, watching their movements. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However, red flags went up when the local continued to circle back. Within seconds, Hasting and his team were ambushed. A gunman, standing just 12 feet away, opened fire\u2014making it impossible to avoid being hit.<\/p>\n<p>He was struck 10 times: five times in the brachial plexus (the nerves running through the shoulders) and four that took out a chunk of his hip. The final shot went clean through his leg. Two bullets struck Hasting\u2019s body armor, which perhaps saved his life, leaving him with several massive bruises.<\/p>\n<p>With his status in question during a three-day transport from the battlefield to Walter Reed Hospital, Hasting\u2019s main goal was still to get back to Afghanistan and be side by side with his squad. \u201cAfter I got shot, there was no question that I needed to return to Afghanistan to be with my guys,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was just trying to figure out how to get back in the shape I needed to be in\u2014back in army shape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The only problem was, as bandages hid the true extent of the damage, Hasting didn\u2019t fully grasp the severity of his injuries until he tried taking his first step out of bed. \u201cThe doctors were like, \u2018Do you want to walk?\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m ready to get out of this hospital bed,\u2019\u201d he recalls. \u201cOnce I got to do that, I went to stand up and walk\u2014and my leg just didn\u2019t move. So I had to relearn how to do all that. It was crazy. It was very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He spent nine months at Walter Reed, including one month as an inpatient and seven more as an outpatient. \u201cInstead of them coming to me, I was going to them,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it was every day\u2014something different, whether going in for more surgery or working with PT or occupational therapy. It was something every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>The Unlikely Healing of Scotty Hasting Through Music and Archery<\/h3>\n<p>While learning to walk again would seem challenging, Scotty Hasting insists that portion of his rehab was no where near as challenging as was the process of rewiring himself to do everything left-handed. For an ex-power-hitting high school first baseman, having to now bat and throw\u2014and everything else\u2014from the opposite side took a tremendous amount of time-consuming effort.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m naturally right-handed, and I had to learn how to do everything left-handed,\u201d he says. \u201cSo the hardest thing for me was learning how to write left-handed, throw left-handed\u2014how to truly do everything left-handed. That was the biggest hurdle I had, other than the fact that I had all these holes in me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His family played a major role in his recovery, especially his brother Corey, a former offensive lineman for Ohio University who spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals. \u201cHe and I have always been super competitive,\u201d Hasting says. \u201cWe always tried to one-up each other, so it\u2019s been great having him around because he\u2019s always pushing me to do more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also invaluable were his fellow servicemembers at Walter Reed, each facing their own recovery struggles. Just like on the battlefield, the soldiers had each other\u2019s backs in the therapy room. \u201cWe would all see each other at occupational therapy and physical therapy, and we would always try to push each other to get to the next level,\u201d he says. \u201cThey pushed you to be better than you were yesterday. And that really helped with my transition from the injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To help adapt to life as a lefty following his discharge in 2016, the military suggested participating in adaptive sports to aid in his rehab. Hasting chose archery and became quite skilled. \u201cI lived for shooting archery to the point where I eventually got recruited by the U.S. Paralympic Committee. I was traveling all over the country, shooting for the U.S. Paralympic program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shooting arrows became more than just a way to recapture some of his athletic competitiveness. Archery became an invaluable emotional outlet. As long as he stayed active, the PTSD he suffered from would subside for that period of time. \u201cI really found a purpose and I found therapy in archery,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>However, when COVID hit in 2020, archery came to a halt. Needing a new outlet, Hasting turned to music. \u201cMy therapy was taken away from me, and I needed something to get out of my head. I had a guitar in my room, and one day during COVID, I decided I was going to learn how to play it. I jumped on YouTube and started learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What began as a simple curiosity soon blossomed into a full-blown obsession. Hasting quickly discovered the emotional power of turning feelings into music. Guitar practice then evolved into a lengthy songwriting study course. \u201cThat was my therapy, that was my escape,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what I did every day for, like, eight hours at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:66.726780883679%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Scotty-251382-Primary-2-e1753048447658.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" alt=\"Scotty Hasting\" width=\"1109\" height=\"740\" data-fallback-img=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Scotty-251382-Primary-2-e1753048447658.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"credit\">Black River Entertainment<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>From Open Mic to Original Music<\/h3>\n<p>Hasting says it took several months watching YouTube tutorials and practicing how to press each chord with his still-developing left hand before he became comfortable with the guitar. He also had to learn to It took just one open mic night\u2014at Cookeville\u2019s Red Silo Brewing Company\u2014for him to realize he was all in on music. \u201cThere were four people in the room. If they think I\u2019m terrible, I don\u2019t ever have to see those four people ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He played the first song he learned\u2014Toby Keith\u2019s \u201cShould\u2019ve Been a Cowboy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since then, his determination has not only led to securing a record deal with Black River, but he\u2019s also gone on to collaborate with country legends Lee Brice and Dolly Parton on an emotionally charged remake of the Trace Adkins hit \u201cTil The Last Shot\u2019s Fired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, Scotty Hasting is focusing on making his own original tracks, such as \u201cScars.\u201d Like with guitar, he taught himself the building blocks of songwriting through instructional videos. The artistic process became another therapeutic outlet for Hasting to manage his PTSD.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing able to take those emotions and those feelings and put them somewhere else\u2026 being able to take them out of myself and put them on a piece of paper in song form, it changed everything, and it changed it so drastically, to the point that it truly saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not every songwriting session goes smoothly, he says. He admits it\u2019s not always easy to dig deep and recall some of those traumatic events, but it gets somewhat easier with experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s sometimes hard for me to capture or trigger the emotions that I\u2019m trying to when I\u2019m in a room of people I don\u2019t know,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes it takes time, and sometimes you\u2019re just feeling a certain way on a day, and just write that. And it really all depends. I walk into every room that I\u2019m writing in and just try to write whatever\u2019s in that room that day\u2014whether it be sad, happy, whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Take Care of What You Can Control<\/h3>\n<p>What Scotty Hasting does have control over now is his health. After all, looking and feeling good while performing onstage all over the world is a priority. But at one point, Hasting\u2019s weight hovered over 300 pounds. Having come this far, this quickly, he was determined not to sabotage the progress he worked for by being careless with his fitness habits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just looked at myself, and I was like, I can\u2019t do this,\u201d he says. \u201cI have to figure this out, especially with being on stage. You can get very winded very quickly when you\u2019re heavier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sticks to a carnivore diet as much as possible. Plenty of red meat, along with some fruits and vegetables, make up the majority of his meals, which has helped the 6\u20194\u201d singer lose more than 40 pounds.<\/p>\n<p>For exercise, he hits the weight room as much as he can. His training is somewhat limited due to physical restrictions, but his goal now is simply to stay as active as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have to do something active every day,\u201d he says. \u201cI have to do something, especially with being on a stage and playing an hour-long show where you\u2019re running around and jumping and really into it. You have to stay somewhat fit, cardio-wise. And, yeah, that\u2019s all I try to do\u2014just try to stay moving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite learning guitar remarkably quickly, Hasting knows his injuries will always limit his abilities. Simple things like holding a guitar pick in his right hand can\u2019t be taken for granted. \u201cI see my guitar players shred on the guitar, and I\u2019m like, man, I wish I could do that,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I can\u2019t control this hand enough to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From singing his song \u201cRed, White and Blue\u201d at the National Memorial Day Concert to traveling to Normandy to sing for WWII veterans on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Hasting\u2019s journey has been extraordinary. And still gets a bit of the nerves every time he enters the Grand Ole Opry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome places are are more more nerve-wracking than others, like the Grand Ole Opry,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery time you\u2019re about to go on the Grand Ole Opry, there\u2019s just the history and it hits you all at once. You get incredibly nervous very quickly because every performance for me is going to be the best performance that I can try to put on. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>No matter how big he gets, Hasting hopes his story of second chances and finding purpose resonates with veterans. With more than 17 veterans committing suicide each day, he wants to use his platform to motivate others to find their own purpose. The. key, he says, is to find an outlet, anything, that can help eliminate the stress that comes with the silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m hoping that when I\u2019m on these stages, a veteran or someone who was hit or hurt would hear my story and think, \u2018Damn, if he can do that, I can too,\u2019\u201d Scotty Hasting says. \u201cThat\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever hoped anyone sees when I\u2019m on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/how-scotty-hasting-turned-his-wounds-to-songwriting-wisdom\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scotty Hasting has survived 10 bullets at point-blank range as an Army officer in Afghanistan, so it would seem safe to assume that nearly every challenge thrown in front of him today as a musician would pale in comparison\u2014even singing on Nashville\u2019s grandest stage. It\u2019s not to say that Hasting doesn\u2019t still get a bit &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14794\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}