Kane Brown was one of the first country music artists to find huge success through social media. His inspirational story was born out of a tough childhood that included abuse at the hands of one of his stepdads.
In a new interview with CBS Mornings‘ Gayle King, Kane Brown said that music helped him escape what he called a “crazy childhood.”
“Had to grow up a lot faster than a normal person…Just, you know, moving around a lot. And then no father figure. Child abuse,” Brown said.
In addition to being beaten a lot, Kane said one of his stepdads shaved his head and made him eat soap as punishment.
“One of my stepdads for my punishment shaved my head bald and put aftershave on me. Made me, like, physically eat half a bar of soap, not just bite into it. I had to physically eat it and swallow it. So all kinds of crazy things,” Brown said.
Kane Brown was raised by a single mother and has rarely spoken about his father. But, at a party in 2018 celebrating the success of his “What Ifs” collab with Lauren Alaina, Kane made a rare statement about his father. He told the crowd that his dad was incarcerated when he was 3 and has remained behind bars since.
While Kane Brown’s childhood was filled with hardships, including racism and homelessness, the singer was determined to be successful and change his life story.
After attending his first concert, a Chris Young and Brad Paisley show, Kane decided that he was going to be a country singer. He entered a high school talent show and began posting covers of country songs on Facebook. He found unprecedented success on social media with his covers garnering millions of views. It wasn’t long before record executives noticed and Kane was set on a path to superstardom.
When it came to having a family of his own, Brown told Gayle King that he always knew that he wanted to be there for his children.
“I want to give them the life that I never had,” Kane said, referencing the two daughters he shares with wife Katelyn Jae.
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