If there has been a slam dunk in the music industry in the past year or two, it would have to be Kane Brown, the young country superstar who grew up in the North Georgia and Chattanooga area.
The multi-platinum, five-time American Music Award-winning entertainer announced Thursday that he will be headlining his Blessed & Free Tour, which will stop in 35 North American cities. As part of that schedule, he will be the first artist to perform in all 29 arenas that are home to NBA franchises over the next year.
In the past five years, Brown has gone from a young singer who made his name singing covers on social media to an award-winning, record-setting performer.
Billboard mentions him as the "future of country," while Time calls him one of "31 people changing the South."
Brown recently earned his first Academy of Country Music Album of the Year nomination for "Mixtape Vol. 1," as well as a Video of the Year nomination for his anthem "Worldwide Beautiful." Brown first broke through the country charts with his self-titled debut, which spent a record-breaking 13 weeks at the top of the chart and made Brown the first artist in Billboard history to top all 5 Billboard Country charts simultaneously.
Brown earned three American Music Awards and produced two of the most-streamed country songs of all time with the seven times platinum No. 1 hit "Heaven" and "What Ifs." His sophomore album, "Experiment," debuted No 1 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart and solidified Brown as the only male country artist in more than 24 years to debut at the top of the Billboard 200.
The album produced back-to-back No. 1 hits and was ranked by The New York Times as one of the Top 10 best albums of the year. His latest project, "Mixtape Vol. 1" features Brown's Top 10 pop radio hit "Be Like That" featuring Khalid and Swae Lee, "Last Time I Say Sorry," which he co-wrote with John Legend, and his current country radio hit, "Worship You."
Brown played four sports during a high school career that saw him move several times and enroll in several high schools in and around North Georgia and Red Bank. He hinted at the tour during the 2020 NBA All-Star game in Chicago, where he played in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
He was recently back in Chattanooga as part of Lowe's launch of its 100th anniversary. Brown worked at the Hixson location during high school and the store has committed to restoring important community gathering places such as Boys & Girls Clubs and rec centers around the country.
Joining him on the tour will be Chase Rice, Jordan Davis and Restless Road.
Registration for the tour's pre-sale began Thursday at kanebrownlive.com. Tickets for Blessed & Free will go on sale to the general public Friday, April 16, at 10 a.m. local time at kanebrownmusic.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.