Since Its Release December 2016,
Brown’s Self-Titled Debut Surpasses All Country Album Debuts with Most Weeks at #1
Kane Brown’s Gold-Certified Top 15 Airplay Hit “Heaven” Takes #1
on Nielsen On Demand Audio Core Country Streaming Chart,
Replacing Brown’s Double-Platinum “What Ifs” After 18 Weeks at #1
The Tennessean Recounts Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina’s Journey
From Middle School Choir Classmates to ACM Award Final Nominees
for “What Ifs” Vocal Event, New Male and New Female Vocalist of the Year
NASHVILLE, TN – 2018 ACM Award double-nominated Kane Brown reaches a new milestone this week as his self-titled debut achieves a seventh week at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Released December 2, 2016,Kane Brown now surpasses all country album debuts with the most weeks at #1 for the period from Brown’s street date to now.
Brown’s gold-certified current hit single “Heaven” contributed to a 13% increase in album consumption this week and takes the #1 slot on the Nielsen On Demand Audio Core Country Streaming Chart. Rising to #13 on Billboard and #14 on Country Aircheck/Mediabase airplay charts, “Heaven” was written by Matthew McGinn, Lindsay Rimes and Shy Carter and produced by Dann Huff. The 24-year-old entertainer recently performed “Heaven” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! – watch it HERE.
2018’s most-streamed song, Kane Brown’s “What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina is now replaced at #1 by Brown’s “Heaven,” after the double-platinum hit has held the #1 slot on the Nielsen chart for 18 weeks. Brown performed this smash on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018” – watch it HERE.
After the “What Ifs” #1 party at BMI in Nashville recently, music reporter Cindy Watts interviewed the song’s vocal collaborators for The Tennessean March 4 cover story “Lauren Alaina and Kane Brown – From grade school pals to top of chart.” “Kane Brown was 13 years old when he started seventh grade as the new kid at Lakeview Middle School in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia…Lauren Alaina, 12, sat next to him…and after the bubbly Alaina heard him hum in class, she decided to force him out of his shell. ‘He told me he didn’t sing,’ Alaina recalled. ‘I think he said he only sang in the shower.’ More than a decade later, the reunited childhood friends have soared to the top of country radio charts with ‘What Ifs’…Brown said Alaina is to credit for much of his success. In addition to elevating the hit…many years before she convinced him to get over his fear and sing in chorus class.” Read the entire cover story in The Tennessean online HERE.
Lamar Gillespie, the choir teacher at Lake View Middle School, surprised Brown and Alaina at that same #1 music industry event which honored “What Ifs” songwriters Kane Brown, Matt McGinn and Jordan Schmidt. After Mr. G (as his students referred to him) was welcomed onto the ceremony stage, he said, “It’s crazy being from a small city…to have not just one, but two make it as big as these two have…I followed both of their successes.” In his closing remarks, Gillespie enthused, “I couldn’t be more proud of both of you!” Watch two former classmates respond to their choir teacher’s surprise appearance HERE.
Kane Brown is nominated for New Male Vocalist of the Year and Lauren Alaina for New Female Vocalist at the “53rd Academy of Country Music Awards” broadcasting live on April 15 on CBS. Announced March 1 by this year’s host Reba McEntire, both are nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for “What ifs.”