Kane Brown enjoyed a history-making evening on Sunday (Aug. 28). Not only did the country music star mark his first-ever performance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, but he now holds the title of the first male country singer to ever perform at the star-studded event, since its 1984 inception.
Making his moment count, Brown, 28, made use of mixed-reality technology powered by The Famous Group for his TV debut. Opening up his innovative performance, he made his way from the middle of the crowd onto the Fort Lee, N.J. Toyota Stage, which was beaming with neon green lights. Brown tackled his brand new upbeat single “Grand” from his upcoming album, Different Man, and was accompanied by a backup band for his performance. He worked the stage feeding off the crowd’s vibrant energy while slaying the trap-like tune, which he penned with Kameron Alexander and Mike Posner.
“Ain’t life grand?/ Only ones I keep around me is my fam / No coincidence, it’s always been the plan / And I always keep it trilly with the fans,” Brown sang the lyrics of the song into the microphone while motioning one arm up and down to get the audience’s hands jumping.
Ahead of his barrier-breaking performance, Brown walked the VMA’s “black” carpet with his wife, Katelyn Jae Brown, on his arm. The two were the picture of couple goals, as Katelyn Jae appeared in a shimmering nude two-piece set alongside her country star hubby, who sported a loose-fitting Prada suit jacket over a green undershirt.
Before the show, the married pair also took to social media to celebrate the epic night, posing for a family photo with their two kids, Kodi Jane and Kingsley Rose Brown. The sweet picture, uploaded to Brown’s Instagram page, features the happy father holding up a peace sign with one hand while holding his eldest daughter, Kingsley, in his arms. His wife, meanwhile, carries the baby of the brood, Kodi, in her arms. Kodi appears all smiles while dressed in a onesie.
“VMAS ready,” Brown captioned the photo, including two red-heart emojis with his message.
Brown also got a chance to snag some photos with one country-turned-pop star. The “Heaven” singer shared a picture on Instagram of him posing with Taylor Swift. In the photo, Brown is no longer wearing his blazer as he smiles alongside Swift, who dazzles in a bejeweled Oscar de la Renta dress.
“Okay,” Brown wrote, alongside the post with a peace sign.
Going into the night, Brown also told Entertainment Tonight, “I feel good, you know, I’m kinda upset that I’m not singing a country song. But also, it’s kinda good because people will be like, ‘Oh, this is a country artist. Why is he singing this song?’ Then hopefully they go down a rabbit hole, and they discover a lot more artists in the country world.”
Aside from his performance, the accompanying video for “Grand” scored Brown a late nomination for Song of the Summer. But, this isn’t the first time Brown has earned a nomination at the VMA’s. In 2021, he was up for Video for Good for “Worldwide Beautiful.” Brown’s appearance at this year’s VMA’s may have had him representing the country genre as the first male to grace the carpet. But, he isn’t the only country star who has been invited to the ceremony. Aside from Swift, Kacey Musgraves performed at the 2021 VMA’s, singing her hit, “Star-Crossed.”
Brown forthcoming 17-track studio album, Different Man, which includes songs “Whiskey Sour,” “One Mississippi,” “Leave You Along,” “Like I Love Country Music,” and “Go Around,” due out on Sept. 9.
