Shania Twain and Kane Brown Discuss How He ‘Manifested’ Their Fun New Collaboration ‘Boots’

The track offers a playful new take on Twain’s 1995 classic “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”

More than three decades after Shania Twain asked who had been seeing her unfaithful partner in “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?,” Kane Brown has offered a cheeky answer with a new song of his own.

The country stars have joined forces on “Boots,” a playful companion to Twain’s 1995 hit that flips the original storyline by telling the story from the man’s perspective. Rather than revealing another woman, however, Brown’s character insists there isn’t anyone else.

Twain, 61, says the new track works as a continuation of the story established in her original song.

“I think it’s very well done in the sense that it’s kind of like a call and response, a continuation of the story,” she tells PEOPLE. “Lyrically, the intention was to make it playful and not offensive from the woman’s point of view. And I think [Brown] doing it in the same spirit was the right thing.”

Twain co-wrote “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?,” which appeared on her breakthrough 1995 album The Woman in Me. Brown, 32, grew up listening to the song, making the opportunity to record its musical counterpart especially meaningful.

Brown said songwriter Josh Hoge introduced him to “Boots,” and he immediately connected with the concept. The song’s storyline appealed to him enough that he began hoping Twain would eventually join him on the recording.

“I’ve been a fan of the Queen for the longest,” Brown says. “My mom was a huge fan, and I was a massive fan growing up, [being] raised by all women. So we heard Shania all the time in my house.”

He added, “I listened to [‘Boots’] and immediately just fell in love with the song. And then I just tried to manifest Shania allowing us to do the song and getting her on the song.”

Brown’s wish didn’t take long to become reality. The two artists had previously met at an awards ceremony, but when Twain hosted the ACM Awards in May, Brown saw another opportunity to approach her about the collaboration.

“I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to meet her again. She’s going to say that we can do the song,’” Brown recalls.

According to Brown, Twain went a step further by offering to appear on the track herself.

“And then she one-upped me and said she was going to hop on the song with me. So I was like, ‘Hell yeah,’” he says.

Twain was already familiar with Brown’s work and had been impressed by him from the beginning of his career.

“I was a really big supporter from the very, very beginning,” she tells Brown, praising his voice and describing him as naturally likable and easy to connect with.

She also said she loved what he brought to “Boots,” adding that his vocal performance fit the song particularly well.

The collaboration also gives the two singers a chance to connect their respective generations of country music. Twain’s original remains a favorite among longtime fans, while Brown’s new interpretation introduces the concept to listeners who may be more familiar with his music.

“I just want to thank you for carrying the torch, Kane,” Twain says. “I’m a songwriter first, and the songwriting is so critical… It’s all about the story.”

Brown sees another similarity between the pair: neither artist has been particularly interested in being confined to a single musical style.

He says they are both “not scared to be boxed in” when it comes to genre, an approach he plans to continue as he develops his next album following 2025’s The High Road.

Brown admits that he previously spent too much time worrying about whether his music sounded sufficiently country.

“I’ve always kind of tried to cater to the wrong people. Is it country enough? Basically the people that aren’t going to buy my records or listen to my music anyway, and I’m just now realizing that,” he says.

For his upcoming project, Brown plans to lean more heavily into energetic material. While slower songs helped launch his career, he says he has moved away from that style because he prefers performing more upbeat music onstage.

“I just don’t like playing them live. I’m just more energetic running around,” he explains. “So there’s going to be a lot of uptempo, head-bopping type songs.”