Kane Brown’s CMA Fest performance of his recent No. 1 hit, “Good as You,” will be part of upcoming CMA Fest TV special, airing on Sunday, Aug. 4. With a portion of the proceeds from CMA Fest benefiting music education across the country, Brown is happy to support the worthwhile cause, which for him, is personal.
“For me, music education changed life for my little brother,” Brown told PopCulture.com and other media. “My little brother was bad. He loved guitar and he loved drums, and music education kept him out of a lot of stuff because it would just take his mind away, just playing instruments and learning. Honestly, I feel like music education will take kids even further than where they think they can go. My wife graduated from Berklee – stuff like that is why music education is so important.”
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Brown is by now a seasoned performer, but he admits playing at CMA Fest is an entirely different experience.
“It’s the kind of thing like ‘never look in the rear view’ but I do every once in a while,” Brown conceded. “Last year when I went on stage I only had ‘What Ifs’ that I knew that at least the majority hopefully knew. And going from ‘What Ifs’ to having four songs to hoping people know, it’s really only when stuff like this happens that I kind of look back.”
Brown is currently on the road, serving as the opening act on Jason Aldean‘s Ride All Night Tour. Wherever Brown performs, and however many people are in the crowd, Brown’s fans are always on his mind.
“I’m laid back,” Brown said. “For me it’s like five minutes before I go on is when I just kick everything on … My fans always are here with me. So I perform for them and just show them the best show that I can with the little amount of time that I’ve got.
Brown and his wife, Katelyn Jae, will welcome their first child, a girl, into the world later this year. The pair still get to enjoy date nights, although Jae can no longer imbibe on her favorite drink.
“They haven’t really changed,” Brown told PEOPLE. “She doesn’t drink anymore — she’s a wine girl and she can’t have any wine. But other than that, it hasn’t really changed.”
The CMA Fest TV special will air on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Find all of Brown’s upcoming shows by visiting his website.
Photo Credit: Getty Images / Scott Dudelson
