Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina’s ACMs Performance Was the Talk of the Night But Both Artists Admit It Was a Little Too Awkward

Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina’s friendship dates back to their childhood, when they first met at Lakeview Middle School in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. At the time, Brown was 13 and Alaina was 12. Despite taking very different paths to stardom—Alaina via American Idol and Brown through social media—the two eventually found their place in country music, and their shared history brought a unique chemistry to their collaboration.

Their success was solidified by their chart-topping duet, “What Ifs,” which earned them a Vocal Event of the Year nomination at the 2018 ACM Awards and a CMT Music Award for Collaborative Video of the Year.

During the 2018 ACM Awards, Brown and Alaina performed the song live from Las Vegas, leaving viewers in awe with their incredible vocals and undeniable chemistry. The performance built up to a tense moment where it seemed like they were about to share a kiss, causing the audience to hold their breath in anticipation. Instead, they ended the performance with a friendly hug, resulting in a huge round of applause from the crowd.

While the moment made for great television, both artists admitted it was awkward. In an interview with Taste of Country after the show, Brown shared that the idea to “sell the song” with a dramatic ending was the producers’ suggestion. “That was the first thing they told us,” Brown explained. “They were just like, ‘This is how you end.’” He also confessed that it was “super awkward,” adding that Lauren joked, “Might as well go ahead and grab his butt too!”

Since then, both artists have married. Brown tied the knot with Katelyn Jae in 2018, and the couple now shares three children. Alaina married Cam Arnold in early 2024, and they are expecting their first child, a daughter, in 2025.

You can watch their memorable 2018 performance of “What Ifs” in the video below.