Kane Brown

Born Oct. 21, 1993, and raised in Chattanooga, Tenn., and northwest Georgia, Kane Brown grew up listening to country and R&B and fostered a love for music as his family moved from state to state. He sang in a school choir with classmate Lauren Alaina, who successfully auditioned for the tenth season of "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-16). Inspired by her drive and performance, Brown decided to audition for "American Idol" and "The X Factor" (Fox 2011-13). He earned a spot on the latter program, but declined to further participate in the competition after the producers wanted to place him in a boy band. Brown produced covers of songs by well-known artists like Johnny Cash. When it came to original songs, Brown sought a personal connection with his lyrics to avoid clichéd topics and convenient rhyming styles.

He released a number of covers on social media and produced a six-song EP titled "Closer" (2015) through a crowdfunding campaign. A few months later, his popularity exploded with "Used to Love You Sober" (2015), an original single released on his birthday. It quickly climbed to No. 2 on the Country Digital Songs chart. Brown first signed on with record label Zone 4 prior to the release of "Closer," then signed with RCA Nashville in early 2016. He released his first full-length album on December 2, 2016, self-titled "Kane Brown," which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200.