Boyz II Men Consider Brett Young a 'Kindred Spirit': How Their Surprise Collab Came About (Exclusive)

The group is ready for more country collaborations!

Boyz II Men are ready to make more country music! 

Shawn Stockman and Wayna and Nathan Morris scored their first CMT Music Awards nomination this year for their "Motownphilly" performance with Brett Young on CMT Crossroads -- and it might be the first in a long string of country collaborations. 

As the band told ET's Nancy O'Dell at the awards show at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, there's not much of a difference between country and R&B. 

"Like, the sentiment, they're all love songs. It's about heartbreak, love, relationships," Shawn offered.

"It's about your dog sometimes," Nathan joked. 

In all seriousness, Wayna said the band is "open" for anything. "We've been doing it for so long where you can try [whatever].... and it doesn't affect who you are or what you've done in this business, so we're open to just about anything," he insisted. 

Boyz II Men -- who performed with Brett at Wednesday's awards show -- told ET that they consider the country star to be a "kindred spirit." 

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMT

"We found out through our manager's daughter, actually -- who went to his show, because she was a big fan -- [that] during his set, he sings one of our songs. She texted our manager, her daddy, and then he put two and two together. We got in touch with his manager, Van, he's a big fan, and the rest is history," Shawn explained. "And we did the Crossroads performance a few months ago, and it earned us a nomination, which we did not expect. So we were just doing it because we love Brett, we respect him and his artistry."

"Come to find out he was a big fan, and once we listened to his music, we actually became huge fans as well, and now we're brothers. So, we're kindred spirits, you know," Nathan added. 

"It's crazy [to be here]. It's definitely weird, but fun, you know? We never expected to be here. We never expected to be performing, we never expected to be nominated for awards, so we're feeling good. God is good," Nathan shared. "[I'm] trying to show my yeehaw."

Brett raved about his performance with the group backstage. "The fact that they're up there, I'm even twice, three times, four times more terrified and that just was so much fun that went so perfectly. I honestly feel like I just walked off the mound after nine innings, shutout, no hitter. I got that kind of 18-year-old adrenaline right now, which I haven't felt in 20 years," he said -- before Wayna, Nathan and Shawn impressed with their yodeling. 

See more in the video below. 

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