Brian McKnight (pictured) is one of the best things to ever happen to R&B. Sitting on 16 Grammys and 16 albums, this man is one rare find who will be bringing back his talents to South Africa from September 16.
“I think as we come back I have a better sense of the songs that work in South Africa. When we first went there we had no idea that people loved my music. So I have been excited about returning for a while,” he said from Los Angeles.
Following the great news, we would like to think we are going to also hear some material from his upcoming album, Better.
“Yeah, it’s actually finished but it won’t be out ’til January. The title Better explains what the album is about. I am writing, playing and I am in the best shape of my life.,” he said.
Over the years McKnight has managed to make himself a rare breed in the R&B game, next to R Kelly, as one of the few people who write, play, sing and do backing vocals for their own music.
“How many other people can say that in 23 years they have released 16 albums? I think on this journey, especially in the last 10 years, there was certainly a considerable amount of trying to figure out who I was, from a music standpoint. Coming full circle now really comes with the fact that I am older, and I am not 22 years old. I am okay with being grown and there’s a comfort level that comes with that. I don’t have that pressure you have when you are starting out. I just make sure I keep having fun,” he explained.
“I am also in love, maybe for the first time in my life. So you put these things together and you see that it is really obvious where I am at today” he added.
With all the hits over the years, McKnight did confess that he sometimes speaks like he sings.
“I don’t think that I speak in song but I have been accused of doing that. As a writer you can say whatever you want the way you would write it and that’s the difference between those of us who are writers from those who are not. Others just talk and they don’t give time to what they are going to say and so those are the advantages of being a writer,” he confessed.
Writing, producing and singing your own material has its merits but McKnight did also discuss its downside.
“I think to be successful in all areas of music, pardon me for saying this but, you have to be an a***hole. Only I know what my music is supposed to sound like but that doesn’t mean it’s right. The first album I made I produced by myself and so nobody could tell me nothing after that. Yet when you have done it, people expect more. I truly believe the amount of time I have put in and the desire I have to succeed makes me better”, he said.
The one thing that he is well-known for is his wide vocal range which has impressive melisma registers.
“My voice is inspired from a whole lot of people that I listened to growing up. From Stevie Wonder to Michael McDonald and James Ingram. There are so many fantastic singers who helped me do anything I want to do with my voice. I have worked on my voice so much that when I am in front of people, I don’t fear anything. I have my own Brian McKnight thing that I do that I hope is my own,” he said.
If you look into the New Jack Swing sound of the ’90s, McKnight was a permanent feature who worked with an all-star cast called Black Man United and they released the hit song, U Will Know.
“For the last 15 years we have been in the age of the individual. I think it’s all because all the social media access people are only concerned with pushing their own stuff... When we did Black Men United we just called each other up because we were all friends. We were up and coming at the time and that was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I was only 24 but I felt like Quincy Jones.”
He has also flirted with film, TV and stage but he is not keen on pushing it to the limit. “I want to do things at my own cost. I don’t ask for favours because the same will be expected of you,” he said.
l The dates of the Brian McKnight tour are as follows: Durban September 16 – Moses Mabhida Stadium, Cape Town September 17 – GrandWest Arena and Johannesburg September 19 – Carnival City.