Kane Brown reflects on being branded ‘not country’ in early career

Kane Brown didn't always have complete confidence in his ability to achieve stardom.

During a Sunday appearance on Today, the country music star opened up about grappling with imposter syndrome when his career was in its early stages of growth.

"When I f---ing started playin’ bigger places I got, like, imposter syndrome of it moving too fast," Brown, 29, told Today's Willie Geist. "I wasn’t the greatest on stage. I wondered what everybody thought about me."

One pivotal moment that boosted his confidence was when he made history as the first-ever Black artist to headline Fenway Park in Boston with a concert on June 23. The singer felt a strong sense of belonging and purpose on that occasion: "I knew that I was supposed to be there."

"When I got out there, you know, there were no nerves. There was no, 'Oh my God,'" said Brown. "It was like, 'It’s showtime and I’m going to put on a show and let these people know that I’m so glad they’re here and that I’m so glad to be here."

The musician, known for What Ifs, was raised in Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee, by a white mother and a Black father. He frequently encountered discouragement, being told he wasn't suited for the country genre. This could have played a role in his experience of imposter syndrome..

"They’d be like, 'Just look at him. He’s not country. That’s not what country looks like,' yada, yada, yada. But I feel like it’s also what made me blow up on Facebook. ‘Cause, I had a lot of people that clicked my video and they would be like, 'I thought you were going to rap, excuse me,'" said Brown. "And then I started singing. So it kind of shocked them, and they wanted to share."

Following his viral moment on Facebook, Brown released his debut album in late 2016 and achieved success with songs like "Used to Love You Sober," "Heaven," and "Be Like That." Nowadays, he is focused on looking forward rather than dwelling on the past.

"Everything that I went through is a part of my life that got me here. And I’m actually proud of it,." says Brown. "Even though a lot of it was tough and hard and you didn’t know what was going to come out of it. But I feel like that’s who made me who I am today."

"It made me strong. It made me want to get back to people, and made me humble," continued the musician. "And just made me proud of where I came from."