While co-hosting Backstage Country with Elaina Smith, Kane Brown got candid about the burnout he experienced in recent years, the isolation that made creativity difficult and how a move to Florida has helped him reconnect with everyday life. The "Never Been In Love" hitmaker also revealed a major shift in how he approaches his music and what he wants to feel when he hears one of his songs on the radio.
Kane Brown Admits He Struggled to Find Creativity
Brown explained that his lifestyle had become increasingly isolated, making it difficult for him to find the inspiration needed to write and create.
“I stay isolated quite a bit, so it’s hard to get ideas,” Brown told Smith.
The singer said he and his family had built a compound where they could spend time together, but the setup also meant he wasn't having many everyday conversations or experiences outside of his immediate circle.
As a result, Brown found himself in a period where thinking about music and being creative simply “was kind of not there.”
The pressure to release new music only made matters more difficult.
Brown said that when people began telling him he needed new music, he felt like he was being “forced” to create and put songs out — something he acknowledged was not a healthy creative process.
A Move to Florida Helped Brown Feel “Normal” Again
A major change came when Brown and his family got a house in Florida.
The singer said they recently spent about a month there, and the experience gave him an opportunity to slow down, relax and reconnect with people outside his usual Nashville circle.
“I’ve been kicking my feet up and just chilling, really,” Brown explained. “The community is great because I get to have conversations.” He chuckled, “The neighbors are used to seeing me now.”
That change appears to have had a significant impact on his creativity.
Brown said the experience has “brightened” him back up and made working on music fun again.
Brown Is Done Trying to Make Everyone Happy
Perhaps the biggest revelation from the interview was Brown's admission that he has spent much of his career worrying about making other people happy.
“I feel like I’ve tried to make the wrong people happy,” he said, reflecting on his career.
Now, he says, that mindset has changed.
Brown explained that he's reached a point where he no longer wants to let outside opinions dictate what he records or releases. Instead, he wants to make music that makes him happy.
“It’s to the point where I just don't care anymore of other’s opinions. My opinion: I should make myself happy,” Brown said.
