Kane Brown Jokes He and Lauren Alaina Have a 10-Year Rule for Releasing Songs Together

Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina are proving that some friendships only get better with time.

While co-hosting Backstage Country with Elaina Smith, Brown opened up about his longtime friendship with Alaina and their latest collaboration, “Never Been in Love.” The new duet comes nearly a decade after the pair joined forces on Brown's breakout hit “What Ifs,” which became his first No. 1 song.

Smith pointed out just how wild it is that Brown and Alaina are releasing another song together roughly 10 years after “What Ifs.”

Brown agreed, joking that the two now have an unofficial rule about their collaborations. “We have a joke that we say now: it's every 10 years we gotta release a song,” he said.

But despite the long gap between songs, Brown said working with Alaina still feels completely natural. “It's always so good to work with her,” he said.

The two country stars go way back to middle school, before having their respective careers and releasing chart-topping collaborations. Brown described Alaina as “so talented” and “such a sweetheart.”

“She’s really the reason that I’ve jumped into music,” Brown said. “Whenever she asked me to be on the song, the song's a hit,” he added.

The reunion also gave the two longtime friends an opportunity to have fun together away from the pressure that surrounded their first major collaboration. Brown noted that this time around, things feel much more relaxed because both artists are further along in their careers.

One of the biggest differences between their first collaboration and “Never Been in Love” is everything that has happened in their personal lives since then.

Both Brown and Alaina have become parents, and their children even became part of the promotional material surrounding the new collaboration. Smith pointed out how special it is to see the two artists, who knew each other as kids, now navigating adulthood and parenthood alongside one another.

Brown agreed, while offering a hilarious glimpse into his friendship with Alaina as she adjusts to motherhood. “Seeing Lauren as a mom is hilarious,” Brown joked.

The Tennessee native shared a funny story involving Alaina's daughter, Beni, and the challenges of parenting. The friends were planning to meet at a private beach club, but Alaina initially hesitated because Beni's scheduled nap time was approaching.

Brown, who already has experience navigating life with children, teased Alaina about being overly strict with the schedule. He told her that kids could occasionally stay up later, joking that things might be different when she has a second child.

Brown even texted her that “the second kid's not gonna be right,” referring to how parenting routines tend to become less rigid with kid no. 2.

Listen to Brown and Alaina's second collaboration, "Never Been In Love."