Kane Brown is a pioneer. In fact, Brown is half a dozen trailblazers in one.
The star singer-songwriter has amassed an insane resume: the first black artist to win the Academy of Country Music Award for Video of the Year, an entry into Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People, a new and impressive collaboration with SA
“I never wanted to be anything other than myself, but I think being myself was different,” he told the Herald. “When you see an example of what’s possible, it’s a really powerful thing. … When people make a point of saying that you have broken such and such a record, it means a lot, but it motivates me to do more. I think one of the first big ones was being the first country artist in history to top all five Billboard country charts simultaneously. When they told me no one had ever done this before, it was an amazing feeling.
“The ACM win was a big deal for me for a lot of reasons,” Brown added. “It was my first time winning an ACM award, and it was for (2020 single) ‘Worldwide Beautiful,’ which is a song I wrote to emphasize that we’re not going anywhere if everyone is so stuck in their path without being able to see it from another perspective.
A favorite line from “Worldwide Beautiful”: “How you gonna change your mind if your heart is unshakable.”
Now Brown is about to add another line to the resume. Friday, it is the front page of the TD Garden.
“It’s amazing to be back with the fans,” he said. “I hope people come away feeling like the show is bigger and better, we always want to keep pushing ourselves.”
If you don’t know Brown, he’s a major force in country music. It’s not strictly country either. He’s happy to go in any direction – soul, hip-hop, EDM, rock – that suits him.
“I think for me, country music and the heart of it is the honesty of the songs and the songwriting, and there are a lot of different sounds even within the country,” he said. declared. “My goal is to make music that people feel and relate to and that my fans love. I think sometimes when you hear or listen to all the outside voices say it’s not country enough …it’s a dangerous place to start being creative.
He’s also not afraid to dig into a range of topics in his songs. Naturally, he can write a hit love song. But he doesn’t shy away from writing about race or violence. Just one example is “American Bad Dream,” which evokes school shootings and bad cops making it unbearably difficult for good cops to do their jobs.
“Music has always been the place I can use as an outlet to put my thoughts on paper and get them out there. That was the case with ‘Learning’ and ‘American Bad Dream’ and ‘Worldwide Beautiful’. I think that one of the most powerful things about music as a format is the ability it has to heal or make people think about things in a different way without even realizing it right away.
Despite pain and conflict, Brown’s music devotes a lot of time to hope and healing. It is these positive vibes that he wants to transmit to the fans during his Garden party.
“I hope they know they’re part of our family and everyone is welcome to come to a show and we want you there,” he said.
For tickets and details, go to kanebrownmusic.com.
