CMT Crossroads Featuring Brett Young and Boyz II Men

Held at Stage A at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and broadcasted on CMT last night, Boyz II Men and Brett Young were featured last night for another incredible episode of CMT Crossroads. Who knew this was the collaboration everyone needed?

In last night’s broadcast, Young shared the stage with the iconic group in their first country collaboration. Young and Boyz II Men had met the day before this was filmed, however, their mesh of musical styles and stage presence appeared like they were old friends, performing together. The night kicked off with “Motownphilly” getting the crowd singing along and ready for what’s to come.

In between the songs, Young and Boyz II Men talked about how similar their two genres are and how love songs connect with everyone. “There’s country, there’s R&B and those two genres are exactly the same, we just change a couple of instruments to make one country and one R&B,” Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men says. “We are meshing genres but at the same time, we do very much of the same thing, and I think that’s really cool” Young continued. “But that’s the whole point of Crossroads, it gives the viewer something that they might not have seen on their own,” Shawn Stockman explained.  The group and Young jumped right into a beautiful rendition of Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know”. They also performed the group’s hit “Water Runs Dry,” which is also the song that Young covers in his set on tour. It has the elements of a hit country track that engages the group and Young’s voice flawlessly.

Before singing Young’s next couple of songs he mentioned his single “Here Tonight” was the first time he put an actual tempo song out to radio. “Sometimes it’s nice to write a song that even though the topic is obvious, the story is so vague that anybody can make it their story,” Young says. “We don’t say where here is, here is here for you, it’s here for me, it’s wherever that is for anybody.” The single is currently climbing the charts sitting at #3 on the Mediabase chart and in the top three on Billboard. Young also explained to Boyz II Men that his track “Mercy,” was the song the crowd would cheer for to encore before it was even a single. Arguably, one of the most impactful songs of the night was “End Of The Road” which gave each artist a chance to really harmonize together, even allowing the fans in the audience to sing the final chorus acapella.

To end the night, they performed Boyz II Men’s smash single “I’ll Make Love To You.” “This was a challenge I was excited for, “ Young said of the collaboration and working with the band. “The process might’ve taken longer or gone differently if you guys weren’t so genuine and warm and open and fun about it.” There were roses placed on the stage for them to hand out to the audience. The artists took advantage of this opportunity by handing them out to the ladies in the crowd. Between the sultry vocals, amazing harmonies and beautiful roses it was a definite ‘’swoon’ moment for those in attendance.

As members of the Grammy award-winning band talked earnestly with the rising country throughout the show, it was apparent that they appreciate the country music genre, as much as Young appreciates them and the way their music has influenced him. “Country music leaves space for the song to breathe, they leave space for the artist to sing the lyrics so you can hear the story, ” Morris stated. “All of those beautiful things that country is known for, that’s why people love it still, it still touches the heartstrings,” Stockman concluded. This collaboration was an unexpected yet clever decision made by CMT.

To keep up with CMT’s Crossroads future shows, make sure to visit http://www.cmt.com/shows/cmt-crossroads. To keep up with Boyz II Men follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and Brett Young on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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