Local Kane Brown turned Facebook likes into a country music career

This Nov. 9, 2016 image taken from video shows Kane Brown during an interview in Nashville, Tenn. The 23-year-old singer was rejected by TV singing competitions, so he started posting videos of himself singing country music covers on Facebook. Brown created a dedicated fan base online that propelled him to a No. 1 country album. (AP Photo/Kristin Hall) This Nov. 9, 2016 image taken from video shows Kane Brown during an interview in Nashville, Tenn. The 23-year-old singer was rejected by TV singing competitions, so he started posting videos of himself singing country music covers on Facebook. Brown created a dedicated fan base online that propelled him to a No. 1 country album. (AP Photo/Kristin Hall)

By Associated Press December 21, 2016 3 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – As a kid, Kane Brown and his mother used to sing together as pretend “American Idol” contestants.

But when Brown actually tried out for the show years later, he kept getting rejected or stereotyped.

“They told me they didn’t need another Scotty McCreery,” Brown said. “I tried out for ‘X Factor’ and they put me in a boy band and I ended up quitting.”

So the 23-year-old singer from the Tennessee-Georgia border near Chattanooga turned to Facebook to find an audience for iPhone videos of himself singing covers of songs like “Check Yes or No,” by George Strait, a video that’s been viewed 11 million times.

“I had like 3,000 friends on Facebook,” Brown said. “I felt like if they thought I was good enough, they would at least help me share my videos a little bit. One day it went viral.”