Corey Kent has a new duet with Lauren Alaina, out now. The Oklahoma native just dropped “Now or Never” with Alaina, a song written by Sam Ellis, Ryan Hurd and Geoff Warburton, and part of Kent’s highly-anticipated Black Bandana album, out on September 6.
For Kent, the American Idol alum was his first choice when it came to choosing a duet partner, after the two happened to be performing at an event together.
“She’s such a phenomenal singer,” Kent tells Everything Nash. “That’s the truth of it. I grew up playing live music. That’s why I got into music. So it was important to me to find somebody who was fantastic live. We were playing at a radio event at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, and I heard Lauren. She was sitting right next to me. I heard her sing for the first time live, and it was incredible. She was so powerful.
“She had so much control, such great tone,” he adds. “All of the things that check the box for me when I go, ‘Hey, is this person a great singer, or are they a good singer?’ She’s great. Super powerful voice.”
Kent was already impressed with Alaina, but he gained even more respect for her when they got in the studio to record “Now or Never.”
“Got in the studio, [she] was a complete pro,” Kent boasts. “You could just tell she’s a veteran. She had great instincts and added so much to the song. I think it’s going to be a big song for both of us, because she really sounded natural on that song, and added so much to it.”
When announcing “Now or Never,” Alaina said she was thrilled to join Kent on the powerful song.
“I am so excited to be a part of this song with Corey,” said Alaina. “I think the message is super powerful. It’s okay to love someone and take a stand for yourself when needed. I am honored Corey asked me to be a part of it. I can’t wait to see where the song takes us.”
“Now or Never” is just one of ten songs on Black Bandana that has a message Kent is eager for the world to hear.
“‘Now or Never’ is a song about drawing a line in the sand for yourself,” says Kent. “It’s about loving somebody but refusing to let them continue to hurt you by taking a stand and asking your partner to make up their mind… ‘You either love me or you don’t.’”
Kent will kick off his headlining Black Bandana Tour on September 21 in California. See a track list for Black Bandana below. Pre-order the album, and find “Now or Never” and all of Kent’s music and upcoming shows at CoreyKentOfficial.com.
Black Bandana Track List:
Ain’t Gonna Lie (Corey Kent / Austin Goodloe / Brett Tyler)
Damn Good Country Song (Ben Burgess / Michael Lotten / Whitney Phillips)
Black Bandana (Corey Kent / Rocky Block / Jordan Dozzi / Brett Tyler)
Never Ready (Corey Kent / Austin Goodloe / Joybeth Taylor / Lydia Vaughan)
Break Like That (Thomas Archer / Jacob Hackworth / AJ Pruis / Brett Tyler)
Nothing But Neon (Corey Kent / Austin Goodloe / Joybeth Taylor / Lydia Vaughan)
Now or Never feat. Lauren Alaina (Sam Ellis / Ryan Hurd / Geoff Warburton)
Rust (Corey Kent / Casey Brown / Jacob Davis / Travis Wood)
This Heart (Thomas Archer / Blake Bollinger / Jacob Hackworth / Michael Tyler)
So Far (Corey Kent / Joe Fox / Lauren Hungate)
Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media: Robby Klein / Dayna White