Kane Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Kane Allen Brown (1993-10-21)October 21, 1993 (age 32) Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Origin | Whites Creek, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | kanebrownmusic |
Kane Allen Brown[2][3] (born October 21, 1993)[1] is an Americancountry music singer and songwriter.[4] First garnering a mass following onsocial media, he released his debutextended play (EP)Closer in June 2015, and followed it up with the single, "Used to Love You Sober" in October of that year. After Brown signed withRCA Nashville in early 2016, the song was included on his second EP andmajor label debut,Chapter 1 in March 2016. He released hiseponymous debut studio album later that year in December. The album spawned the single "What Ifs" (featuringLauren Alaina), and in October 2017, Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five mainBillboard country charts.[5] Brown released his second album,Experiment, in November 2018, which became his first number one album on theBillboard 200.[6]
Brown was raised in rural northwestGeorgia and in theChattanooga, Tennessee, area.[1][7][8] He is biracial, with a white mother, Tabatha Brown and an African-American father who is also partCherokee.[3][9][10] In 2018, he toldPeople magazine he did not know he was biracial until he was 7 or 8 years old: "I thought I was full white... I found out that I was biracial, and I still wasn't thinking anything of it, but then I started getting called theN-word ... I learned what it meant, and that's when it started affecting me. I got in fights over it when I was little."[11] His father has been incarcerated since 1996, and he was raised by his single mother.[12]
Sometimes homeless, Brown's family moved around northwest Georgia when he was younger fromRossville toFort Oglethorpe toLaFayette before finally settling inRed Bank, Tennessee.[13][14] As a result, he attended many schools, among themLakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School inFort Oglethorpe, where he sang in the choir withLauren Alaina, the runner-up onSeason 10 ofAmerican Idol.[15] He also attendedRed Bank, Ridgeland, andSoddy Daisy High School.[15] After graduation, he lived with his grandmother, who had also helped raise him.[16]
Brown grew up listening to country music but became interested inR&B music in middle school. However, after almost winning a school talent show in 11th grade with a rendition ofChris Young's "Gettin' You Home", he began to perform country music.[17] He auditioned for bothAmerican Idol andThe X Factor USA after the success of his school friend Lauren Alaina onAmerican Idol.[18] He was chosen forThe X Factor USA after an audition in 2013 but left the show when its producers wanted to include him in a boy band.[15] After that, he decided to post his cover versions of popular songs online.[18][19]
In 2014, Brown began posting videos of his covers of songs byBrantley Gilbert,Billy Currington,Alan Jackson, and other singers on social media. He acquired a following for his homemade videos onFacebook. His cover ofLee Brice's "I Don't Dance" was one early video that gained wide attention.[13] Released on September 30, 2015, his cover ofGeorge Strait's "Check Yes or No" went viral and received more than seven million views.[20] His number of followers on Facebook quickly reached more than a million, leading to a teaser clip for his own single "Used to Love You Sober" hitting one million views in less than three hours upon its release on October 8, 2015,[20] and then reaching more than 11 million views in two weeks.[21]
Brown was initially signed toZone 4[9] withJay Frank as his first manager.[21] Martha Earls became his manager in 2016.[10]
In 2014, Brown raised funds viacrowdfunding siteKickstarter to produce a six-song EP,[22] which he recorded inNashville, Tennessee, at the home studio of Noah Henson, guitarist forBrantley Gilbert. The EP, titledCloser, was released on June 2, 2015, and debuted on the Top Country Albums chart at number 22, selling 3,200 copies in its debut week.[23] A single from the EP, "Don't Go City on Me", was first released on October 22, 2014, and reached number 43 on the Country Digital Songs chart.[24]
Brown released a new single "Used to Love You Sober" on his birthday (October 21) in 2015, and the song was spotlighted onZane Lowe'sBeats 1.[25] It reached number two on the Country Digital Songs chart based on just two days of sales, with 38,000 copies sold.[26] The release of the single also pushed hisEPCloser up the chart to number 22 on the Top Album Sales chart.[27] A second song, "Last Minute Late Night", was released on November 4, 2015, and debuted on the Country Digital Songs chart at number nine, with 26,000 copies sold.[28] Another single, "I Love That I Hate You", followed three weeks later on November 30, 2015, and sold 17,000 copies in the first week.[29]
Brown opened forFlorida Georgia Line on their summer 2016Dig Your Roots Tour[30] and collaborated with Chandler Stephens on a song they wrote together, "Can't Stop Love", which released on February 12, 2016.[31]
He signed withSony Music Nashville on January 27, 2016, and records under theRCA Nashville label.[32] His firstEP under the label, titledChapter 1, released on March 18, 2016.[33] It includes the singles "Used to Love You Sober" and "Last Minute Late Night" and debuted at number nine on the U.S.Billboard200 and at number three on the Top Country Albums chart, selling 30,000 units (23,000 in traditional albums) in its first week.[34]
On June 17, 2016, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" was released as a promotional single ahead of his debut full-length album.[35][36] "Thunder in the Rain" was released as the debut radio single from the album on August 3, 2016, and Brown headlined his own Ain't No Stopping Us Now Tour produced byMonster Energy and Outbreak Presents starting on November 3, 2016.[37] Theself-titled album featuring those songs was released on December 2, 2016,[38] and debuted at number 10 on the U.S.Billboard 200.[39] "What Ifs", recorded with his friendLauren Alaina, was released as the second single from the album and has beencertified 8× Platinum by theRIAA.[40] It became a number one hit on theBillboard Country Airplay charts for the week of October 28, 2017, the first for Brown and the second for Alaina. It also spent five weeks at number one on theBillboard Hot Country Songs chart.
An expanded deluxe edition of Brown's debut album was released October 6, 2017, featuring four new tracks, including a duet withChris Young and "Heaven",[41] released as the album's third single on November 13, 2017. Upon the release of the deluxe edition, the album went to number five on theBillboard 200 and returned to number one on the Top Country Albums chart. With the single "What Ifs", which reached number one on multiple charts, and the new song "Heaven" released with the deluxe edition, Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five main country charts: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Digital Song Sales, and Country Streaming Songs.[5]
On June 7, 2018,RCA Nashville released "Lose It" as the lead single for his second RCA album.[42] A second track from the album, "Weekend", was released on August 8, 2018. On September 4, 2018, Brown announced the album's title,Experiment, via Twitter along with its cover art and news of the upcoming track "Homesick".[43][44]Experiment was released on November 9, 2018 and became Brown's first No. 1 on theBillboard 200 albums chart.[6]
Over the course of 2018–19, Brown released several collaborations with artists such asBecky G,Camila Cabello, andDigital Farm Animals, including a remix of "Saturday Nights" with R&B singerKhalid which was released as a single. He also appeared onBrooks & Dunn's albumReboot in a new rendition of their past hit "Believe".[45] In August 2019, Brown collaborated withMarshmello for "One Thing Right",[46] his first release to Mainstream Pop Radio.
In October 2019, Brown's drummer, Kenny Dixon, died in acar accident.[47]
In April 2020, Brown released the track "Cool Again",[48][49][50] the debut single off his third EP,Mixtape, Vol. 1 (EP).[51]
In June 2020, Brown released the song "Worldwide Beautiful", which aims to highlight peace and equality and benefits theBoys & Girls Club of America.[52] In July 2020, Brown released his second single to pop radio, "Be Like That" withKhalid andSwae Lee, another single off hisEP.[53]
On August 14, 2020, Brown released his thirdEP,Mixtape, Vol. 1,[54] which includes "Cool Again", "Worldwide Beautiful", and "Be Like That", as well as four other tracks.
In September 2020, Brown announced a drive-in concert, held at more than 200 theaters across the U.S. on September 26, 2020.[55] That same week Brown appeared on stage at theiHeartRadio Music Festival in a PORTL "hologram" machine to sing "Be Like That" live fromNashville withSwae Lee andKhalid who were in the studio inLos Angeles,California.[56]
In October 2020, "Worship You" was sent to country radio as his second official single to that format off theEP.[57]
On November 26, 2020, Brown performed in a pre-recorded halftime show in theThanksgiving Thursday Night Football game between theWashington Commanders and theDallas Cowboys atAT&T Stadium.[58]
On February 11, 2021, Brown launched his own label, 1021 Entertainment, in association withSony Nashville.[59]
Also in 2021, Brown became the first black person to win Video of the Year at theACM Awards, which he won for "Worldwide Beautiful".[60] He was included in 2021'sTime 100,Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[61]
On March 3, 2022, Brown released the song "Leave You Alone", which he initially previewed on social media in late 2021.[62]
Brown announced his third studio album,Different Man, on July 18, 2022. The album was released on September 9, 2022.[63]
On October 9, 2024, Brown announced his fourth album,The High Road. It was released on January 24, 2025.[64] He became an actor after joiningThe Token Groomsman as Scott's best friend, Neil.[65]
Brown is married to Katelyn Brown (née Jae), who is also a singer. He proposed to her onEaster Sunday in 2017 and announced theirengagement during a concert inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, a short time later in April 2017.[66][67][68] They were married at Mint Springs Farm inNolensville, Tennessee, on October 12, 2018,[69] with about 200 relatives and friends in attendance.[66] On April 15, 2019, Brown announced they were expecting their first child.[70] Less than a month later, on May 1, 2019, he revealed the baby was a girl during a walk down the red carpet at theBillboard Music Awards.[71] On October 29, 2019, Jae gave birth to their first child, a daughter.[72] On December 31, 2021, Brown announced that Jae had given birth to their second daughter a day prior.[73] On June 18, 2024, the couple welcomed their third child and first son.[74]
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Country Music Awards | 2017 | New Male Vocalist of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [75] |
| 2018 | Nominated | [76] | |||
| Vocal Event of the Year | "What Ifs"(withLauren Alaina) | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Single of the Year | "Heaven" | Nominated | [77] | |
| 2021 | Album of the Year | Mixtape, Vol. 1 | Nominated | [60] | |
| Video of the Year | ”Worldwide Beautiful” | Won | |||
| 2022 | Single of the Year | "Famous Friends"(withChris Young) | Nominated | [78] | |
| Music Event of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| American Music Awards | 2018 | Favorite Country Male Artist | Himself | Won | [79] |
| Favorite Country Album | Kane Brown | Won | |||
| Favorite Country Song | "Heaven" | Won | |||
| 2019 | Favorite Country Male Artist | Himself | Won | [80] | |
| Favorite Country Album | Experiment | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Favorite Country Male Artist | Himself | Won | ||
| 2021 | Favorite Country Song | "Famous Friends"(with Chris Young) | Nominated | [81] | |
| Billboard Music Awards | 2018 | Top Country Artist | Himself | Nominated | [82] |
| Top Country Album | Kane Brown | Nominated | |||
| Top Country Song | "What Ifs"(with Lauren Alaina) | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Top Country Artist | Himself | Nominated | [83] | |
| Top Country Male Artist | Himself | Nominated | |||
| Top Country Album | Kane Brown | Nominated | |||
| Top Country Song | "Heaven" | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Top Country Artist | Himself | Nominated | ||
| Top Country Male Artist | Nominated | ||||
| Top Country Album | Experiment | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Top Country Artist | Himself | Nominated | ||
| Country Music Association Awards | 2021 | Single of the Year | "Famous Friends"(withChris Young) | Nominated | [84] |
| Musical Event of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Musical Event of the Year | "Thank God"(with Katelyn Brown) | Nominated | ||
| CMT Music Awards | 2017 | Breakthrough Video of the Year | "Used to Love You Sober" | Nominated | [85] |
| 2018 | Collaborative Video of the Year | "What Ifs"(feat. Lauren Alaina) | Won | [86] | |
| Video of the Year | "What Ifs"(feat. Lauren Alaina) | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Video of the Year | "Good as You" | Nominated | [87] | |
| Male Video of the Year | "Lose It" | Won | |||
| 2020 | Collaborative Video of the Year | "Cool Again"(feat. Nelly) | Nominated | [88] | |
| "One Thing Right"(feat. Marshmello) | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | Video of the Year | "Worldwide Beautiful" | Nominated | [89] | |
| Male Video of the Year | "Worship You" | Won | |||
| Best Family Feature | Nominated | ||||
| Collaborative Video of the Year | "Famous Friends"(feat. Chris Young) | Won | |||
| 2022 | Video of the Year | "One Mississippi" | Nominated | [90] | |
| Male Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| CMT Performance of the Year | "Three Wooden Crosses"(From 2021 CMT Artist of the Year) | Nominated | |||
| "Ride wit Me"(From CMT Crossroads) | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Video of the Year | "Thank God"(with Katelyn Brown) | Won | [91] | |
| Collaborative Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Male Video of the Year | "Like I Love Country Music" | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Video of the Year | "Nothing Compares to You"(with Mickey Guyton) | Pending | [92] | |
| Collaborative Video of the Year | Pending | ||||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2019 | Country Song of the Year | "Heaven" | Nominated | [93] |
| 2022 | Country Song of the Year | "Famous Friends" | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Country Artist of the Year | Himself | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Best Collaboration | "Thank God"(with Katelyn Brown) | Pending | ||
| Country Song of the Year | Pending | ||||
| People's Choice Awards | 2019 | The Male Country Artist of the Year | Himself | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Nominated | ||||
| The Soundtrack Song of the Year | "On Me" | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | The Male Country Artist of the Year | Himself | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Nominated | ||||
| 2024 | Nominated | ||||
| People's Choice Country Awards | 2023 | The People’s Artist of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [94] |
| The Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| The Album of the Year | Different Man | Nominated | |||
| The Collaboration Song of the Year | "Thank God" | Nominated | |||
| The Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| The Music Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Taste of Country Fan Choice Awards | 2018 | Most Passionate Fanbase of 2018 | Himself | Won | [95] |
| Most Jaw-Dropping Performance of 2018 | "What Ifs"(with Lauren Alaina) at the ACMs | Won | |||
| Best Country Album | Experiment | Won | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | 2019 | Choice Country Artist | Himself | Nominated | [96] |
| Choice Country Song | “Good as You” | Nominated |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ridiculousness | Himself/Guest | |
| 2019 | All That | Himself/Musical Guest | Episode 1103 |
| 2020 | The Voice | Himself/Battle Advisor | Season 19 ofTeam Blake |
| 2020–present | CMT Music Awards | Himself/Co-Host | 2020: WithSarah Hyland &Ashley McBryde 2021, 2023–present: WithKelsea Ballerini 2022: WithAnthony Mackie &Kelsea Ballerini |
| 2021 | CMT Crossroads | Himself | |
| 2022 | Barmageddon | Himself/Guest | Episode: "Blake Shelton & Kane Brown" |
| 2023 | Fire Country | Robin[97] | Episode: "Off the Rails" |
| 2025 | 9-1-1: Nashville | Himself | Episode: Pilot |
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