In addition to studying the Civil War and demonstrating oral proficiency in Italian, one LSU student has scribbled his name on more than just the backs of desks this year.
Timothy Wayne, a rising country artist, followed in the footsteps of his country music legend uncle Tim McGrawand signed his first major recording contract with UMG and Capitol Records.
“I’ve always wanted to do it,” Wayne told Fox News Digital. “I loved being on stage. I never had stage fright, I loved being on stage. I just never thought I could do it, and once people told me I could, and they believed in me, I had to start believing in myself.”
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Timothy Wayne is an emerging country artist produced by country music star Tim McGraw, Wayne’s uncle. (Tyler Conrad; Indiana Fever)
“It’s like time slowed down while I was drawing,” he added.
Wayne, 21, has released two original songs, “God Made a Country Boy” and “Guy With a Guitar,” and was invited by the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Louisiana to perform at the Rose Bowl Parade on January 1, 2025 .Louisiana.
“I thought someone was playing a prank on me,” Wayne said when asked to perform. “I didn’t know much about the Rose Bowl beforehand, but I did Laine Wilson had done it before.”
Despite having a lifelong passion for music, inspired by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson and, thanks to the influence of his Italian grandmother, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, Wayne only really began to focus on music a few months ago.
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“For me it was great to be invited when I was just starting to really make waves,” he said. “It was surreal that they asked me to represent my mother, my uncle, my aunt’s home state and the state I love and go to school in.”
Wayne is programmed to create his own mastery of music and is produced by McGraw and his Faith Hill’s producer Byron Gallimore, but he writes his own music, coordinates with band members himself and tells his own story through song.
“He’s the biggest supporter of this whole idea,” Wayne told Fox News Digital from McGraw. “When I first really got into music later in high school, he told me, ‘I’ll produce you, but that’s it. You have to forge your own path.'”
“I love being his cousin,” Wayne said. “I always joke that he works for me. I’m like, ‘Tim McGraw is my employee.'”
As for his management, Wayne credits his mother and McGraw’s sister, Sandy Howard, for taking on the workload.
“My mom takes a lot of the stress off of me,” he said. “She makes sure everything runs smoothly up until the show and after the show.”
While McGraw produces Wayne’s music with producer Byron Gallimore, Wayne writes and sings his own music, organizes his band members and does the rest of the work himself. (Getty Images)
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He added that she, along with his father, added ’80s hair band rock ‘n’ roll such as Kiss and Poison to his favorite genre of music and helped him identify the sound he loves.
“I’m a big rock ‘n’ roll fan,” Wayne said. “Country music is primarily storytelling, but I like to add that extra something if it’s not a love story.”
Wayne showcased his talents during McGraw’s “Standing Room Only” tour earlier this year, when he hopped a bus to three shows.
Wayne previously toured with McGraw in 2024 and will perform on country singer Lee Brice’s 2025 tour. (Marshall Cunningham)
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“Touring wasn’t long enough,” he said.
Wayne isn’t done with country stars on stage yet. In 2025 he was invited to tour with Lee Brice.
“When I got the call that I was going to be invited to do his ‘You, Me and My Guitar’ show in Mississippi in February, I was over the moon.”
