Kane Brown Reveals “Different Man” Duet With Blake Shelton Was Originally Pitched To Jason Aldean

Kane Brown recently revealed that “Different Man,” his duet with Blake Shelton from his album of the same name was originally pitched to Jason Aldean. Brown made the revelation while co-hosting Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton on Aug. 6 and 7.

“I’ve been dying to have a song with Jason, but I will say, one of the songs I sent him that he didn’t get back to me on, another huge country artist jumped on it. I haven’t mentioned this, but another country artist is on my album and I’m so stoked to have him on,” Brown told Helton of the collaboration at the time.

Brown also mentioned Aldean as a dream collaboration on a Sept. 12 episode of the E! News series’ DRIVE!

When asked who he’d like to collaborate with, Brown immediately answered, “My good buddy [Jason] Aldean. I’ve been trying to get him on a song, but he’s been blowing me off.”

“Jason Aldean, if you’re listening, stop blowing him off,” host Austin J. Mills said after Brown named Aldean as his dream collaborator.

Despite not getting to work with Aldean on a song yet, Brown was excited to team up with Shelton on “Different Man.”

“I was driving to the gym — that’s where I really have time to think and listen,” Brown told Billboard of his duet with Shelton. “I wanted one more feature on the album, and Blake was the first person I thought of. The song just reminded me of the ‘God’s Country’ kind of Blake Shelton, so I felt like it made sense.”

Brown also provided more insight into why he chose to sing the duet with Shelton in a conversation with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music.

“I feel like I’m a great A&R and so I was listening to the song over and over and over and trying to figure out, like, somebody can be on this song,” he explained. “And Blake was the first person that popped into my head. So I sent it to him and then within 30 minutes he texted me back and said he’s on it. So that was just [me] crossing my fingers, hoping he could find time to record it.”

In addition to Shelton, Brown recorded a duet called “Thank God” with his wife Katelyn Brown, which also appears on the album. Brown released Different Man on Sept. 9.