It’s been a week since the release of Kane Brown’s fourth studio album, 'The High Road,' and after the widespread approval from fans worldwide, Brown is finally able to take a big sigh of relief.
“I can only be proud of it once it’s out,” Kane told Audacy’s Katie Neal just prior to the album’s release. “If the fans like it, then I can say I’ll be proud of it.... Until then, I just sit here and wait.”
Now that the wait is over, Brown can confidently say he’s proud of the project and has enjoyed observing which songs are resonating most with fans. One of those songs is “Gorgeous,” which some predict could be the wedding song of 2025.
“I think ‘Gorgeous’ could be a big song, we’ll see,” Kane said before sharing that his wife, Katelyn, compared it to a soulful hit from 2004. “Kate says it reminds her of [Jesse McCartney’s song, 'Beautiful Soul’],” Kane shared. "I kind of got side eye whenever she said it — but, it kinda made sense. It was such a big song.”
Another song Kane has seen a big reaction from is “Haunted” featuring Jelly Roll, which tackles Brown’s own struggles with depression.
“It came out pretty easy,” he shared of the deeply vulnerable track which was inspired during a stay in a hotel Brown believes was haunted. “We were in this crazy hotel that I thought was haunted,” he shared of his accommodations during a writing retreat for the album. “My room, you had to walk through a bank vault to get to the door. It was the only suite that was in the hotel and it had these massive, old school keys that I had for my room and there were all these crazy paintings.”
He continued, “I was like, ‘Let’s write a song called, ‘Haunted,’ and then they [co-writers] were like ‘What would we write a song about ‘Haunted?’ And I said ‘Well, what if we just got really vulnerable and just started writing about my depression and how dark it is?’”
If the soul-stirring lyrics don’t grip you, the musical dynamics will, just as they have Brown’s 5-year-old daughter, Kingsley (5) whom Kane says requests the song over and over again.
“The other day I took Kodi and Kingsley to the jump park and Kingsley made me play ‘Haunted’ 10 times,” he shared. “She was like, ‘Can you play it again? Can you play it again?’ I eventually just had to say ‘No,’” he laughed.
Kane looks forward to bringing the above tracks and more to life as he readies to hit the road this year with his 'High Road Tour.' Kicking off March 13 in San Diego and wrapping July 13 in Chicago the show will also feature special guests are Mitchell Tenpenny, Scotty McCreery, Dasha and Ashley Cooke on select dates.
Hear more details surrounding the album, creative process and more by checking out Kane’s full interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal