HomeFront Sitrep with Scotty Hastings

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky native's EP title track “I’m America” was released February 9, 2024. After hearing "I'm America," written by Wade Kirby and Phil O'Donnell, who co-produced the track with Doug Johnson, Hasting knew he had to record it. "Every single line of this song is why I decided to enlist in the Army," says Hasting. "The moment I heard it, I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to record it. 'I'm America' celebrates ALL of the things and people that make this country beautiful and indivisible."

Hasting’s debut single on Black River, "How Do You Choose" and its accompanying music video strike a chord with anyone who has been left to pick up the pieces from a life-changing moment that's left them asking God that age-old question. The "promising, impactful debut" (Billboard) details Hasting's first visit to best friend Adam Hamilton's tombstone following his death, about one month after an ambush that left Hasting fighting for his life flying out of Afghanistan on a medivac after being shot ten times in April 2011. Narrowly escaping death, Hasting was left with severe nerve damage to his right hand and a loss of purpose as he was unable to continue his journey in the army. The Purple Heart recipient filled the void with a newfound love for adaptive sports as competitive archery became his primary outlet to cope with PTSD —until 2020, when COVID-19 hit and shut down most of the world.

Not one to lay down and accept defeat, the former Army Infantryman with the 1st Infantry Division 4th Squadron 4th Calvary picked up the unused guitar that sat in the corner of his room, opened YouTube, and set out to teach himself how to master the instrument in hopes of fighting the isolation and silence. Hasting was immediately overtaken by this new passion after learning his first song, "Should've Been a Cowboy," by Toby Keith. He began to write his own original music and attended his first open mic night in Cookeville, TN —a night that changed his life forever as he found that he was able to escape his PTSD while on stage performing.