Country singer Kane Brown reunites with Lauren Alaina for new duet "Never Been In Love"

Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina released a new duet called "Never Been In Love," written by Alaina with Ashley Gorley and Ben Johnson, for Alaina's upcoming album Stages, due August 28. Speaking on Country Countdown USA with host Lon Helton, Brown said Alaina made the collaboration easy, calling her "like my little sister."

Brown said he didn't hesitate to return the favor after Alaina sang on a track for one of his own records. "It was real simple. She sent me a song," he said. "She said, 'I did a song for your album, you gotta do one for mine.' I loved the song." He added that Alaina made it "very easy" to work together, and that it took him about 30 minutes to record his part.

The two have collaborated before: their 2016 country duet "What Ifs," from Brown's self-titled debut album, went multi-platinum and eventually earned an RIAA Diamond certification. Alaina said the two have "come a long way from those two kids singing 'What Ifs' ten years ago," and that she was excited to sing the new song with her friend "to celebrate the love we have with our spouses and children."

Alaina, who is now married to Cam Arnold and raising a family, said the new song pulls from the difference between her current relationship and the ones that came before it. "When you find true love and happiness, you realize how much you never had it in past relationships," she said.

Stages was produced by Joey Moi and Ben Johnson and explores chapters of Alaina's life, including coming of age on Nashville's Lower Broadway and starting a family of her own; she'll support it with a headlining run called The Stages Tour this fall. Brown, for his part, has confirmed a new album of his own is in the works, though he hasn't shared a release date, and has three US shows left in 2026 before an Australian tour begins in January 2027.