Kane Brown takes his hitmaker status to the next level

By KRISTIN M. HALL
AP Entertainment Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kane Brown has evolved from the outsider to the consistent hitmaker with a string of No. 1 hits and popular albums. His new album, “Different Man,” out Friday, is built for a playlist audience, skipping around from a ’90s country homage, to a trappy pop banger to a duet with Blake Shelton. Brown’s cross-genre appeal continues to grow as he launched his own record label last year to find and build new talent. He knows a hit when he hears one and he says his duet with his wife Katelyn is going to resonate. “This is going to be the biggest song on the record,” he predicts.