During an October appearance on CBS Mornings, Kane Brown opened up to interviewer Gayle King about his "crazy childhood" as well as "Thank God," his heartfelt duet with wife Katelyn Brown.
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Brown credits his love of music with pulling him through an upbringing marred by physical and emotional abuse.
"Had to grow up a lot faster than a normal person... Just, you know, moving around a lot. And then no father figure. Child abuse," Brown said.
The country star described specific incidents involving a stepfather.
"One of my stepdads for my punishment shaved my head bald and put aftershave on me. Made me, like, physically eat half a bar of soap, not just bite into it. I had to physically eat it and swallow it. So all kinds of crazy things," he said.
In the same interview, the Tennessee native recalled the moment in middle school when he first encountered racism.
"It was, like, my first, like, actual girlfriend," Brown explained. "You know, we were on the bus. And she was about to get dropped off and then she was, like, 'I can't talk to you anymore.' And I was, like, 'What do you mean?' And she was, like, 'My dad said you're Black'."
On 2022 album Different Man, Brown sings the duet "Thank God" with his wife, fellow country singer Katelyn. The timing couldn't be better for the couple and its daughters, 10-month-old Kodi Jane and 2-year-old Kingsley Rose.
"It's so different than before," Katelyn said. "We didn't have kids. I was, like, 'How cool for our daughters to one day listen to mom and dad?'''
Brown previously appeared on CBS Mornings in April alongside Kelsea Ballerini to promote the CMT Music Awards, which is country music's only fan-voted awards show.
