What Ifs

"What Ifs" is a song recorded by American singer Kane Brown featuring fellow American singer Lauren Alaina for Brown's self-titled debut album.[1] The song was released with the album through RCA Nashville and was serviced to radio as the second single on February 6, 2017.

"What Ifs"
Single by Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina
from the album Kane Brown
ReleasedFebruary 6, 2017 (2017-02-06)
GenreCountry
Length3:08
LabelRCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dann Huff
Kane Brown singles chronology
"Thunder in the Rain"
(2016)		 "What Ifs"
(2017)		 "Heaven"
(2017)
Lauren Alaina singles chronology
"Road Less Traveled"
(2016)		 "What Ifs"
(2017)		 "Doin' Fine"
(2017)
Music video
"What ifs" on YouTube

Background

The song was written by Brown with Matt McGinn and Jordan Schmidt. The song is about a couple where the question "what if" is asked repeatedly about what would happen in their relationship.[2] It features a duet with Lauren Alaina, a school friend from Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School when he was living in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.[3] According to Brown, the song was initially not intended to be a duet, he said: "Once we decided on adding a woman to "What Ifs," I knew that I wanted Lauren to sing it, and, of course, she killed it."[4] According to Brown, another song was going to be used in the album, however, he was asked so much about "What Ifs" on social media that it was then decided that the song should be included in the album.[2]

Composition

The song is in the key of G minor with a moderately fast tempo of approximately 126 beats per minute. It follows the chord progression Gm-B♭-F. Brown's vocals range from F2-B♭4.[5]

Chart performance

"What Ifs" sold 6,000 downloads in the US the week the album was released on December 2, 2016, allowing it to chart at number 37 on the US Hot Country Songs chart.[6] The song first entered the US Country Airplay chart for the week of March 4, 2017 at number 60.[7] It reached number one on Hot Country Songs in October 2017, ending the record breaking 34-week reign of Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road". The song is the first number one on the chart for both Brown and Alaina.[8] The following week, for the chart dated October 28, 2017, "What Ifs" stayed at number one, as well as topped the Country Airplay and Country Streaming Songs charts, becoming Alaina's second number one on the former chart after her solo single, "Road Less Traveled", topped the chart earlier in the year. Together with the release of the deluxe edition of the album which also reached number on Top Country Albums, and another number one for a new track "Heaven" on digital sales,[9] Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five main country charts.[4]

The single became the third most-consumed country song of 2017, with 1,551,000 units including streams (599,000 in pure sales) sold in the year.[10][11] As of January 2019, the single has sold 889,000 copies in the US.[12] On September 29, 2020, the single was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over seven million units in the United States.[13]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by P.R. Brown and produced by Steve Lamar. The video was filmed along the Californian coast at The Inn at Newport Ranch, a resort and cattle ranch to the north of San Francisco. It features Brown and his duet partner Lauren Alaina singing along the coast. It was released on May 14, 2017.[14] An earlier lyric video was first released on May 4, 2017, and shows Brown and Alaina cruising down a road.[15]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[27] 6× Platinum 480,000‡
United States (RIAA)[13] 7× Platinum 7,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Dukes, Billy (January 24, 2017). "Kane Brown (Feat. Lauren Alaina), 'What Ifs' [Listen]". Taste of Country.
  2. Konicki, Lisa (February 8, 2017). "Kane Brown's Current Single, "What Ifs," With Lauren Alaina Almost Didn't Make The Album". Nash Country Daily.
  3. Freeman, Jon (December 2, 2016). "Kane Brown on Personal New Album, Why He Won't Sing First Hit: Ram Report". Rolling Stone.
  4. Asker, Jim (October 17, 2017). "Kane Brown Becomes First Artist To Simultaneously Lead Five Country Charts". Billboard.
  5. "'What Ifs' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  6. Bjorke, Matt (December 13, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: December 13, 2016". Roughstock. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  7. "Country Airplay". Billboard. March 4, 2017.
  8. Asker, Jim (October 10, 2017). "Kane Brown's 'What Ifs' Featuring Lauren Alaina Tops Hot Country Songs, Stopping Sam Hunt's Record Run". Billboard.
  9. Bjorke, Matt (October 17, 2017). "Top 30 Digital Country Chart: October 17, 2017". Roughstock. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  10. Rau, Nate (January 4, 2018). "Revealed: Country music's most listened to artists in 2017". Tennessean. USA Today.
  11. Bjorke, Matt (January 3, 2018). "Top 30 Country Digital Singles Chart: January 3, 2018". Roughstock. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  12. Bjorke, Matt (January 15, 2019). "Top 30 Digital Singles: January 15, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  13. "American single certifications – Kane Brown – What Ifs". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  14. "Watch Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina's Picturesque 'What Ifs' Video". Rolling Stone. May 15, 2017.
  15. Kimble, Lindsay (May 4, 2017). "From Middle School Chorus to Nashville, Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina Team Up for Duet 'What Ifs'".
  16. "Kane Brown Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  17. "Kane Brown Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  18. "Kane Brown Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  19. "Kane Brown Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  20. "Kane Brown Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  21. "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  22. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  23. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  24. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  25. "Decade-End Charts: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  27. "Canadian single certifications – Kane Brown – What Ifs". Music Canada. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
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