Breakthrough Entertainer: Country singer Kane Brown

Kane Brown wasn't sure he was going to make it. But there was one thing he was certain about: He was never going to give up.

The singer from humble beginnings has become one of the brightest new singers in music and arguably country music's most successful act of the year.

"I never had the 'I-know-I'm-going-to-make-it' mentality. I always had the 'I'm-never-gonna-give-up' mentality," said Brown, who grew up in Georgia. "I'm very competitive. Like, it's with anything. If you say you're gonna beat me in a video game, no, you're not."

In this Nov. 7, 2018 photo, country singer Kane Brown poses for a portrait in New York. The singer from humble beginnings has become one of the brightest new singers in music and arguably country music’s most successful act of the year. (Photo by Drew GurianInvisionAP)

"I feel that's the attitude you have to have if you're trying to make it in this game," he added.

Part of Brown's competitive nature comes from playing sports. He said as a kid he wanted to become an athlete when he was older, but he also enjoyed singing. That's when he began posting videos of himself singing cover songs to Facebook, where he built a solid fan base.

Now, the 25-year-old has three No. 1 country hits with "What Ifs," ''Lose It" and "Heaven," the most played song on country radio this year. His self-titled debut album is a platinum success and his sophomore effort, "Experiment," debuted at No. 1 on both the pop and country charts last month.

In this Nov. 7, 2018 photo, country singer Kane Brown poses for a portrait in New York. The singer from humble beginnings has become one of the brightest new singers in music and arguably country music’s most successful act of the year. (Photo by Drew GurianInvisionAP)

And Billboard named him second on its year-end list of top country artists — only behind the incomparable Chris Stapleton.

Despite all the success, Brown still wants more: "I'm in huge competition with myself and I always try to outdo myself."

At times, Brown has been seen as an outsider in the country music world, mainly because he is biracial and has multiple tattoos. But he said his individuality is also an advantage, and he encourages other artists on the rise to embrace what makes them unique.

In this Nov. 7, 2018 photo, country singer Kane Brown poses for a portrait in New York. The singer from humble beginnings has become one of the brightest new singers in music and arguably country music’s most successful act of the year. (Photo by Drew GurianInvisionAP)

"Don't try to fit in with anybody else or be anybody else because I feel like if you stand out and you're unique, that's what makes people fall in love with you," he said.

"Don't listen to anybody telling you, 'You can't do something,'" he added. "I've been told 'no' my whole life and now I'm just trying to prove everybody wrong."

Online: https://www.kanebrownmusic.com

In this Nov. 7, 2018 photo, country singer Kane Brown poses for a portrait in New York. The singer from humble beginnings has become one of the brightest new singers in music and arguably country music’s most successful act of the year. (Photo by Drew GurianInvisionAP)

For more on the AP's 2018 Breakthrough Entertainers honorees, visit: https://apnews.com/tag/APBreakthroughEntertainers

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has sharply rejected accusations by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claiming that it has been sidelining patient autonomy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The statements made by the US Secretary of Health are completely unfounded, factually incorrect, and must be rejected,” German Health Minister Nina Warken said in a statement late Saturday.

Kennedy said in a video post earlier on Saturday that he had sent the German minister a letter based on reports coming out of Germany that the government was “limiting people’s abilities to act on their own convictions when they face medical decisions.”

The American health secretary said that “I've learned that more than a thousand German physicians and thousands of their patients now face prosecution and punishment for issuing exemptions from wearing masks or getting COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic."

Warken rejected Kennedy’s claims, saying that “during the coronavirus pandemic, there was never any obligation on the medical profession to administer COVID-19 vaccinations. Anyone who did not want to offer vaccinations for medical, ethical, or personal reasons was not liable to prosecution, nor did they have to fear sanctions.”

Kennedy did not give provide specific examples or say which reports he was referring to but added that “in my letter, I explained that Germany is targeting physicians who put their patients first and punishing citizens for making their own medical choices.”

He concluded that "the German government is now violating the sacred patient physician relationship, replacing it is a dangerous system that makes physicians enforcers of state policies.”

Kennedy said that in his letter he made clear that “Germany has the opportunity and the responsibility to correct this trajectory, to restore medical autonomy, to end politically motivated prosecutions.”

Warken pointed out that there were no professional bans or fines for not getting vaccinated.

“Criminal prosecution was only pursued in cases of fraud and document forgery, such as the issuance of false vaccination certificates or fake mask certificates," the minister said.

She also clarified that in general in Germany “patients are also free to decide which therapy they wish to undergo.”

Former German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who was in charge during the pandemic, also replied, addressing Kennedy directly on X saying that he “should take care of health problems in his own country. Short life expectancy, extreme costs, tens of thousands of drug deaths and murder victims."

“In Germany, doctors are not punished by the government for issuing false medical certificates. In our country, the courts are independent,” Lauterbach wrote.

While a majority of Germans were eager to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic, there were also protests by a small minority of vaccine skeptics in Germany which were sometimes supported by far-right movements.

FILE - Robert Kennedy Jr., center, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department, walks between meetings with senators on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)