Sam Hunt Didn’t Realize ‘How Much Growing Up’ He Had to Do Until He Became a Dad

Everybody knows that becoming a parent will change your life — but you don't fully grasp just how dramatic that process is until you have kids yourself. Sam Hunt will be the first to admit that becoming a dad to his 1-year-old daughter Lucy Louise changed his life in ways he never saw coming.

"There were years there, where, you know, maybe I didn't realize how much growing up I had needed to do," the singer says in an interview with ET Canada. "And having a child forces you to do that. It shifts something in your nervous system."

Now, Hunt explains, his dad status is shifting his perspective on all aspects of his life, driving him to follow career and personal pursuits in a "way that is responsible." At the same time, he adds, he finds that "more purpose and meaning are attached to the things you are doing."

Lucy won't be an only child for much longer. In April, the singer announced that he and his wife Hannah Lee Fowler are currently expecting their second child.

"I mean, we're just walking on air right now, because we've got another baby on the way, and you know, the tour is going great," Hunt continues, referencing the 2023 Summer on the Outskirts Tour that he launched early in July. "Just a lot of things in life are all lining up right now."

Hunt's wife and daughter have been joining him on tour this summer, and the singer says he thinks "they're enjoying it so far," though he admits there have been a few hiccups when it comes to traveling with a baby.

"I definitely threw them in the deep end with a two-week [run] right off the bat," he says.

"We had one long flight that was probably too much to ask of [Hannah]," Hunt continues with a chuckle. "But we all survived it ... I think she's looked at me, and I've looked at her, and we've [said], 'What are we doing?' But only the one time, on the flight. We looked at each other like, 'Alright, maybe if we have fly days, we just figure out — you guys can stay back.'"

The couple learned from that mistake — shortly afterwards, when Hunt had two five-hour flights booked over the course of two dates, Hannah and baby Lucy chose to stay back instead of joining him. That decision was "a smart move," Hunt says, looking back.

Still, for the most part, Hunt says that Lucy is adapting to the road well, and her sleep and napping schedule hasn't been affected too much by the change in location.

"Things are just going our way right now," Hunt relates.

The Summer on the Outskirts Tour is set to continue through early September.