Country stars will be heating up the Majestic Theatre this Friday when Jimmy Wayne opens for James Otto, bringing with him a new record and new experiences learned from award-winning musicians.

Wayne spent his summer and fall touring all over the U.S., opening for the American Saturday Night concert tour with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley.

“It was probably one of the biggest learning experiences in my career so far,” Wayne said.

Performing on Paisley’s tour was a large step up from what Wayne was used to. He went from performing in front of 100 people to up to 30,000. During his time on the tour, Wayne put a lot of effort into tweaking and improving his act.

“We learned how to work a crowd,” Wayne said. “Being an opener is a hard slot. We’ve got to get people in and get the crowd engaged. Eventually, we got it.”

Whenever Wayne got a break from the tour, he would fly back to Nashville to record his newest album. He released the third album, Sara Smile, in November. He said he puts his heart and soul into everything he does, including this album.

“It’s an accomplishment,” Wayne said. “It’s definitely not something to take for granted.”

The album features a covered single, “Sara Smiles,” originally done by Hall & Oates.

“I fell in love with the song 13 years ago,” Wayne said. “The fact is it’s just a great song. It’s fun to sing and fun to play.”

Wayne had the opportunity to record the song with Daryl Hall and John Oates, who sang backup vocals for the single.

“It was an awesome experience. They have a lot to offer and a lot of knowledge,” Wayne said.

Touring all summer, recording a new record and now touring again may be a hassle for some people, but Wayne remains unfazed by the whole experience.

“It’s not that hard — you just play your songs,” Wayne said. “The hardest part is making sure your voice stays in shape.”

This desire to constantly be singing, writing and recording is evident of the persistence and dedication Wayne has. Wayne’s life wasn’t easy growing up in North Carolina, but he moved to Nashville in the late ’90s to pursue a musical career. The move was necessary for Wayne.

“You have to live, eat and breathe it,” Wayne said. “You’ve got be in the scene, in the middle of it.”

Wayne entered the country music scene in 2003 with his self-titled album. His last single, “Do You Believe Me Now,” hit No. 1 in the U.S. country charts in 2008. Wayne said it can happen to anybody once you are living in Nashville and surrounded by country music.

“Some people who you’d never imagine could get a show, get a shot,” Wayne said.

He hopes his new album can be just as successful as the last album, but even more than that, he wants his music and career to change people’s lives.

“I want to influence people to do the right thing,” Wayne said.

One of Wayne’s main goals when he performs is to entertain all of his audiences.

“One piece of advice I learned later and utilize is the music business is an entertainment business. You need to keep that in mind,” Wayne said.

He is excited to get back to Wisconsin and play for his fans. He remembers the state being beautiful.

“I like to take a lot of pictures in the countryside,” Wayne said.

Madison audiences can expect a lot from Wayne’s performance on Friday.

“They’ll hear songs from the first, second and newest album,” Wayne said. “They can expect it to be very entertaining.”

Jimmy Wayne will open for James Otto at the Majestic Theatre on Friday, Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.majesticmadison.com.