‘What Ifs’ writers feted for Number One
By Preshias Harris for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
‘What Ifs’ is not only the first Number One
for Kane Brown, but also sets a new record for topping numerous charts
simultaneously. On Tuesday, February 20, friends and members of Nashville’s music
community gathered at BMI’s Nashville office to salute the song’s writers. The
song was written by Brown along with co-writers Matt McGinn and Jordan Schmidt.
The party was co-hosted by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.
The song also features the voice of Lauren
Alaina who was a runner-up in Season 10 of American Idol. Brown had met Alaina
when they both sang in the choir at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in
Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Encouraged by Alaina’s success in the TV talent show,
Brown tried out for both Idol and X-Factor.
However, X-Factor producers wanted to group him together with other
contestants to form a boy band. That was
not something that Brown saw in his future.
He dropped out of the show and began
posting covers of Country songs on social media. He quickly built a strong following of online
fans, with over one million followers on Facebook. A cover of George Strait’s
‘Check Yes or No’ went viral with over seven million views.
‘What Ifs’ was released in December 2016
(RCA Records/Zone 4) and in October 2017 it reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot
Country Songs chart. ‘What Ifs’ did the seemingly impossible: it ended the
34-week chart-topping run of Sam Hunt’s ‘Body Like a Back Road.’
The song has since been certified Platinum
by RIAA and was the third most ‘consumed’ country song of 2017. Additionally,
Brown was recognized as being the first artist to achieve simultaneous Number
Ones on all five of the major recognized Country charts: Top Country Albums,
Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Digital Song Sales and Country
Streaming Songs.
The deluxe version of Brown’s debut album,
produced by Dan Huff, includes ‘What Ifs’ and four new tracks, one of which, ‘Heaven,’
is Brown’s new single. Another track, ‘Night
on Fire,’ is a duet with Chris Young.
Music and tour info at Brown’s official
website www.kanebrownmusic.com and
on Facebook at /KaneBrownCountry/