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Blending hip-hop-influenced R&B with confessional pop, Kane Brown has defied country conventions since he hit with a string of Billboard Country Airplay number one hits in the late 2010s. On his singles, Brown alternated between romantic slow jams and party numbers ripe for remixes and collaborations by the likes of Khalid and Marshmello -- a fluid mix suited for a variety of genres or moods. Brown's versatility disguised a candidly emotional and autobiographical streak that surfaced on his albums, an element that added dimension to his music even when it wound up as an accent on a collection of savvy modern pop as it did on Different Man, the 2022 album that confirmed his status as one of the more distinctive country stars of his era. After 2023's chart-topping "I Can Feel It," Brown launched into his next album cycle for 2025's The High Road with the Marshmello-assisted "Miles on It."

Kane Allen Brown was born in 1993 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to a white mother and Black father. He spent much of his youth living with his mother in Redbank, Tennessee, where he first became interested in music while in high school. Initially attracted to R&B, Brown decided to focus on country after winning an 11th grade talent contest with his rendition of Chris Young's "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)." Buoyed by that success, Brown began posting videos online of covers of songs by Brantley Gilbert, Alan Jackson, and others. He quickly developed a loyal following, a fan base that helped his own single, "Don't Go City on Me," go viral upon its release in 2014. In 2015, Brown released his debut EP, Closer, which reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Country Albums chart. Following Closer, he also released the stand-alone single "Used to Love You Sober."

In early 2016, Brown signed a recording contract with RCA/Sony Music Nashville. That December, he returned with his eponymous full-length debut, Kane Brown, featuring the singles "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" and "Thunder in the Rain." The album debuted at number one on the country charts and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. Two more singles, "What Ifs" featuring Lauren Alaina, and "Heaven" appeared in 2017.

"Lose It," the first single from Kane Brown's second album, appeared in June 2018. It climbed to number one on Billboard's Country Airplay chart prior to Experiment's release in November. Experiment debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 200 and spawned two more number one Country Airplay singles with "Good as You" and "Homesick" arriving in January and August of 2019, respectively. Also in 2019, he joined DJ Marshmello for the single "One Right Thing" and cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard Country chart with his song "For My Daughter."

As Experiment wound down its album cycle in 2020, Brown released Mixtape, Vol. 1 in August of that year. The EP was highlighted by the hit single "Cool Again." Following the Chris Young collaboration "Famous Friends," Brown teamed up with Blackbear for 2021's "Memory." The number one Billboard Country Airplay solo single "One Mississippi" arrived later that year, opening up a series of singles released in advance of his 2022 album Different Man. Prior to the September appearance of Different Man, "Like I Love Country Music" topped the Billboard Country Airplay Charts, with the promo singles "Whiskey Sour" and "Leave You Alone" helping build anticipation for the record's release. Largely produced by Dann Huff, Different Man was an exercise in genre-fluid country, finding Brown attempting everything from R&B to stripped-down balladeering. He co-wrote all but one of the album's 17 songs, collaborating with such professional songwriters as Josh Hoge, Devin Dawson, and Matt McGinn. It hit number two on the country chart and five on the Billboard 200. At the end of that year, Brown landed yet another charting hit with his rendition of "Blue Christmas."

The following year he notched another country number one with "I Can Feel It," heralding the arrival of his next album. Additional tracks appeared throughout 2024, including "Fiddle in the Band" and another Marshmello collaboration, "Miles on It," all leading up to the January 2025 release of The High Road. ~ Matt Collar

Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Blackbear is known for his cross-pollinated brand of pop, emo, R&B, and hip-hop. He initially garnered attention behind the scenes in the 2010s, penning songs for Justin Bieber, G-Eazy, Machine Gun Kelly, and others. He built upon that buzz, establishing himself as a singer in his own right with full-lengths like 2017's number 14 Billboard 200-charting Digital Druglord, 2019's Top 20 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop album Anonymous, and 2020's number 15 Billboard 200-charting Everything Means Nothing. Along with releasing several EPs, including 2021's Misery Lake, Blackbear has continued to collaborate, issuing tracks with Mod Sun, Mike Posner, Kane Brown, and others. In 2022, he reunited with Kelly for "GFY," off his sixth full-length, the emo-punk-infused In Loving Memory.

Born Matthew Tyler Musto in 1990 in Palm Coast, Florida, Blackbear began his music career singing in his high school punk band Polaroid. The group signed with Leakmob Records and at age 16, he dropped out of school to focus on the band. He quickly left the group and began posting his folky, electronic-tinged songs online. A music manager, Tabari Francis, took notice and helped Blackbear shift gears, facilitating a move to Atlanta to work on songs with singer Ne-Yo. He also worked with Tyler Carter and released several of his own EPs, including 2011's Year of the Blackbear. However, it was Justin Bieber's song "Boyfriend," co-written by Blackbear, that took his career to the next level. Released in 2012, the song was a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped propel Bieber's album, Believe, to the top of the Billboard 200. On the heels of this success, Blackbear began focusing more of his attention on his own career, releasing the Foreplay EP and the Sex mixtape, the latter of which featured fellow "Boyfriend" co-writer Mike Posner, along with James Blake and Maejor Ali. (He also appeared on MGK's Lace Up.) An EP, The Afterglow, followed in 2014.

Another big stride was taken in 2015 with Deadroses, a self-released full-length that registered on Billboard's Uncharted listing of releases from upcoming artists. Deadroses included the singles "IDFC" and "90210," featuring rapper G-Eazy. An EP of acoustic interpretations titled Dead followed soon after before Musto issued his sophomore set, Help, in 2015. The EPs Drink Bleach and Cashmere Noose both arrived in 2016, as did "STFU," the debut single from Musto and Mike Posner's alternative hip-hop duo Mansionz. Two more Mansionz singles preceded the project's eponymous debut LP, released in March 2017.

One month later, Blackbear issued his third full-length album, Digital Druglord. After the record's release, he revealed he had written much of it while in the hospital recovering from pancreatitis brought on by drug and alcohol abuse. Following his recovery, he signed a distribution deal with Interscope Records. A mixtape, Cybersex, arrived at the end of the year, debuting in the Top 50. In 2018, in addition to collaborations with Mike Shinoda ("About You") and DVBBS ("IDWK"), he issued the solo single "The 1." In April of the following year, Blackbear released the lengthy, 18-track Anonymous, which reached number 36 on the Billboard 200. His single "Hot Girl Bummer," appeared a few months later, eventually hitting the Top 15 in the U.S. and the U.K.

His fifth studio album, Everything Means Nothing, arrived in September 2020 and featured production by himself and FRND, Aaron Harmon, Jordan Reyes, and Marshmello. Included on the set were guest appearances by Lauv and Trevor Daniel. It reached number 15 on the Billboard 200. After being featured on tracks by Mod Sun and Mike Posner, Blackbear returned with his own 2021 single, "u love u," which featured Tate McRae. He also collaborated with Kane Brown on the single "Memory." Blackbear's Misery Lake EP arrived in August 2021.

In May 2022, he again paired with Machine Gun Kelly for "GFY," the first track off his sixth studio album, In Loving Memory. Released that August, the record found Blackbear digging deeper into his punk and emo roots with a heavier reliance on guitars and guest appearances by members of the Used, Bayside, and New Found Glory. It charted on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 16 on the Top Alternative Albums Chart. ~ Andy Kellman