Kane Brown Embraces Fatherhood as COVID-19 Keeps Him Home
He fills Sounds Like Nashville in on his current stage of "dad-hood."
Kane Brown has emerged as one of the 2020’s brightest country stars, dropping hit after hit and growing his public profile on TV and beyond. But while much of it is new to the 27-year-old talent, his most important new role is as a father.
Brown and his wife Katelyn welcomed the birth of a daughter named Kingsley on October 29, 2019, and since then fans have seen the Tennessee-born artist transform. Yes, he’s continued to release multi-Platinum singles and collaborate with stars from across the musical spectrum, all while serving as co-host of the 2020 CMT Music Awards and throwing his star-power behind supporting American troops. But his social-media feeds are now full of heartwarming family photos and expressions of a proud dad’s love — and Brown says he’s having the time of his life.
“It’s been amazing,” he tells Sounds Like Nashville in a recent phone call. “I told myself I was gonna be the best dad I could be, and so far it’s been pretty easy. It’s just been me and Kate, her mom, and Kingsley. … I’m just ready for her to walk. And then I’m in a whole new stage of dad-hood.”
The stage he’s in has already pretty eventful, though. Kinglsey just celebrated her first birthday, but the cutie has already begun stealing the hearts of her dad’s fans. She’s co-starred in two of the country star’s music videos (“Worldwide Beautiful” and “Worship You”), and before the pandemic took part in all the usual activity you’d expect for a famous baby. She joined her dad on tour and took special family vacations — and even attended her first basketball game, which now appears to be her favorite sport.
View this post on InstagramFound out my baby loves basketball ❤️ video cred to @katelynbrown 😎
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But then the whole world shut down as COVID-19 spread, pulling Brown off the road and keeping him at home all summer. That has been hard for Brown the artist, he explains, but great for Brown the dad.
“It’s been a blessing to get to hang out with my daughter, and see everything she’s been doing and get to know her personality,” he explains. “Me and my wife have gotten to do a bunch of stuff to the house we wouldn’t have gotten to do if we were on the road, but other than that it’s been pretty crazy not being able to see the fans — especially for artists who are having Number Ones. They’re not even getting to perform them for the people. So you’re gonna go out and wonder if they’re still gonna be as excited for the song as when it was on the radio.
“It’s been cool to experience I guess,” he goes on. “But now I’m ready for it to be over with.”
In between home improvement projects and tender moments with Kingsley, Brown says he has found the time to write a few new songs — but mostly he just wants to enjoy this time. You never know when or if it will happen again, he says, so when asked if he’s been writing about Kingsley or being a dad, the answer is “not yet” — but that will likely change. Life at home is good for his soul, but not necessarily good for his inspiration.
“Honestly, you’ve gotta think [Kingsley] is a true quarantine baby,” he says with a laugh. “So unless it’s something she’s been doing in the house or something like that, it’s so hard to try and write about it. It’s like, she wakes up, she plays and she goes back to sleep, so maybe when I can get her out into the real world I’ll find something to write about for her.”
Fans may not have to wait too long for that to happen, as the rising star says he’s hard at work on a new album. Earlier this year Kane Brown released his six-song EP, Mixtape, Vol. 1, which featured a pair of genre-busting hits with guest appearances by big names in rap and R&B (“Cool Again” featuring Nelly and “Be Like That” featuring Swae Lee an Khalid). His current single, “Worship You,” is out now, and after that he’s hoping a different kind of life change.
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“We’re moving towards an album, and I think by the time ‘Worship You’ is done at radio we should have enough songs to put an album out, and maybe pick a next single,” Brown says. “And for next year, we’re just keeping our fingers crossed to get back on the road touring.”
