When he picks up the saxophone, the melodies that follow come straight from the heart, and there is no mistaking the distinct sound of Donald Hayes. A native of Memphis, TN, Donald is a musician, arranger, orchestrator, artist, and feature film/television composer. His music has taken him all over the world, but he has never strayed from his gospel and blues music roots. His approach to music is simple: to make soulful music that inspires people to dance, love, connect, and just feel good about life.

Donald has just released his second album of original music entitled Soul-Searching. This record pays homage to his Memphis upbringing, and leans heavily on his southern roots of blues, soul & gospel music. Donald believes that your music expression should be an extension of your life. The compositions of this record are very introspective of his life experiences. This record also features a host of amazing guests artist and musicians. Such as, Robin Thicke, Brian Culbertson, Kirk Fletcher, Bobby Sparks, Cedric Mitchell, Derrick Jackson, Nathan East, Andrèa, Lisa, Adam Hawley, and many more. The first two radio singles have already charted really well. Donald second single “Longing For You” featuring Nathan East, charted number one on Billboard, and was voted the number one song of 2025 on the Media Base radio chart. Donald has been touring the world with the Grammy award winning Marcus Miller for the last five years, and touring and recording with Robin Thicke for the last 12 years. Donald feels sharing his life through music is one of his biggest purposes in his life. “I truly believe music heals the heart and soul”.