Kane Allen Brown (born October 21, 1993) is an American country music singer and songwriter who rose to fame through social media. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and raised in rural northwest Georgia, Brown is multiracial, with a white mother, Tabatha Brown, and an African-American father of partial Cherokee descent. His father has been incarcerated since 1996, and Brown was raised by his single mother. It wasn’t until he was around 7 or 8 years old that he discovered he was biracial, an experience that shaped his understanding of identity and exposed him to early instances of racism.
Brown began posting cover songs by country artists like Brantley Gilbert, Billy Currington, and Alan Jackson on social media in 2014. His homemade videos quickly went viral, especially his rendition of George Strait’s “Check Yes or No,” which received over seven million views. This growing popularity culminated in his breakout moment in October 2015, when a teaser for his original single “Used to Love You Sober” reached one million views on Facebook in under three hours and amassed over 11 million views in two weeks.
He released his debut EP, Closer, in June 2015 and followed it with the viral single “Used to Love You Sober.” After signing with RCA Nashville in 2016, the track was included on his major-label debut EP, Chapter 1, released in March 2016. That same year, he dropped his self-titled debut album, Kane Brown, which featured the hit single “What Ifs” with Lauren Alaina. In October 2017, he made history as the first artist to simultaneously top all five main Billboard country charts.
Brown’s success continued with his sophomore album, Experiment, in November 2018, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, marking his first chart-topping album on the all-genre chart. Over the years, Kane Brown has solidified his place as a modern country music trailblazer, blending traditional sounds with contemporary influence and personal storytelling.