A Known Nobody, Hitman Gives Us A Look Inside Who He Is

While Justin Ard, aka Hitman, was growing up, he had one thing on his mind, music.

Little did he know he would blow up and have a huge fan base. Justin, AKA “Hitman” to his fans, grew up in the small town of Marlow, Alabama. That’s where he spent his days at his favorite swimming spot, “Fat Girl Creek,” also known as “Bohemian Creek”. While growing up, Hitman didn't have it so easy.

“I came from nothing; I remember we didn't have any water growing up at my grandma’s house and that’s where I lived.”

Justin dropped out of high school in the 10th grade then went on to a boot camp where he completed his GED. Besides making music, Hitman is a carpenter and has had a hammer in his hands since he was eight years old. Coming from a musical inclined family really helped in his music career. Growing up he was introduced to all genres of music, from country to rock and roll. It inspired him to sing a wide range of music from Country Rap to Outlaw Country Music.

Hitman’s biggest inspirations to his music are Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Clapton, and Johnny Cash just to name a few. While discussing his passion for music, Hitman said,

“Growing up people always say music is my escape, but it really was my escape. I went and got a set of headphones and a lot of albums.”

He went on to say.

“The only way to put me to sleep was putting a radio beside my bed.”

Justin has been performing since he was 17 years old. Traveling all around the U.S. from Mississippi to Texas to even Indiana, he has performed in almost 17 different states.

Hitman has two solo albums out right now “JailHouse Blues Ep” as well as “Truck Trails 17.” He also has "Front Porch Pickin" with City Chief. Hitman will soon release a fourth studio album titled “A Known Nobody.” It is scheduled to be released in the next couple months.

Justin told me

” It's completely different from anything else I've ever done”.

I asked Justin, "Who is Hitman?"

This was his response;

”This is where my new album comes into play. Everybody thinks they know me, but they don't. I don't even know who I really am. I'm still trying to figure that out myself, but I do know what I want to be and that's a better person in general."

The new album, “A Known Nobody” sums up just who I am. It tells what I have been through and my real-life experiences.”

Hitman’s number one goal to reach is to be the one behind the scenes and actually write the music. He said,

”When people walk up to me and ask if I heard a certain song, I wanna be the one that says, "Yeah I wrote that.” He went further, “I still want to sing my own music, but I really wanna write songs for other artists.”

I asked Hitman if he has any advice for any new artists for their first time on stage. He told me the only advice I have to give is...

"whoever tells you they aren't nervous their first time on stage is full of shit. The first two steps are the scariest. After the third it's too late. If you're really nervous wear sunglasses. That way the people can't see your eyes closed, and if your eyes are closed and you stumble, they won't know. They will just think you had one too many.”

Before I left the interview, he had one more thing to say;

“I turned a dime into a dream you can't bag.”

- Brittany Smith