interviews

Will Brian McKnight Save the World?
Ask him, and Brian McKnight will tell you he's just an ordinary guy: a family man devoted to his wife and two sons, a performer and songwriter motivated not by money or fame but by the desire to inspire people through his music. In doing so, he's found time to record five albums, earn numerous Grammy nominations, contribute to several blockbuster film scores, do a little television acting, start his own record label, and collaborate with artists like Sean "Puffy" Combs and N' Sync's Justin Timberlake. Sound like an ordinary guy to you?

Oxygen.com recently sat down with the slo-jam king in New York City to talk about his new album, superhero, as well as what he likes in a woman, how he prepares for his explosive live shows and his secrets for staying fresh after 10 years in the business. With his new album, Brian McKnight shows no signs of flagging: at 32, he's still creating No. 1 singles, and still saving lives with his music. Like Clark Kent, Brian leads a double life — by day he's just an ordinary guy, but at night he's transformed into a modern-day superhero. And when the lights go down and the music starts, this young balladeer swivels his hips, opens his wings, and takes flight.

Your first single off the new album, "Love of My Life," is sung completely in falsetto. What made you decide to go that route?
Actually, I was just playing around — "What would Marvin do? What would Prince do?" And then [my label] said, "We're gonna do this as a single," and I was like, "You're crazy! No one will ever think that's me!" [laughs]

Talk about your songwriting process.
If I can write a song that anybody can sing, then I've done a good thing. Because at the end of the day, people may not remember who I am, but hopefully they remember "One Last Cry" and they remember "Anytime" and they remember the things I've done. One person saying to me that my song did it for them is enough for me to go and do it again.

What's the meaning behind the title of the new album?
When someone says my song helped them through a bad relationship or something — in a loose translation of the word, I was a superhero for them for those five minutes of listening to me: that may have saved their life. One girl told me a story of how she was on her way to my concert and got in a really bad car accident — an intensive-care type [of accident]. They played my CD over and over again, and she came out of it! You never really realize the effect you have on people with just a word.

Brian on Family and Spirituality

What's the difference between Brian McKnight the Artist and Brian McKnight the Father/Husband?
I keep all that stuff really separate, but it's kind of difficult because there's really a duality there. Once the lights come up and that intro starts for my show, I become somebody completely different that nobody knows. I don't know who that guy is. But when it comes to being with my family, I try to keep it as ordinary and regular as possible. The cool thing is that my kids have grown up with this. They're older — 11 and 8 — and they get it. But even still, when I left home the other day, Niko, my 8-year-old, was crying, "Why can't you stay home this time?" I had to reiterate to him that this is what I have to do, and I'll be home on Thursday.

Do you feel any responsibility to be a role model, as a parent and an African-American?
I don't want to do anything [about which] my mother's going to say, "Wow, that was really foul, what you did." It's not like I'm Mr. Clean Freak, but it's the norm to have a bunch of booty shaking in your video, and there are other ways to make your point. You can be clever without having to be overt.

I've heard that you always put one spiritual song on your albums. Talk about your relationship with God.
It's not so much about what God thinks, because God knows my heart. I put those songs on the record for people who wouldn't necessarily be in church. Hopefully, that song makes them look at themselves, where they are in their lives, and maybe they try to be better people. On this particular record, I really went back to the Scriptures, back to my roots, about where we are, the state of the world today, and what I feel is about to happen. I'm not sure if it's necessarily about me — it's really a message for those people who are on the outskirts of where they need to be, where I have been so many times, where we've all been. I talk to Him in the morning when I wake up, and I pray every night before I go to sleep. That's all I need to do.

Brian on Romance

How do feel about being perceived as a sex object?
I think it's because of the music. I'm not a fool to think that it's just me. They weren't pinning me up before I had records. Whatever it takes for them to like me, that's fine. I understand that. But you have to understand that eventually that's going to go away, and what else do you have to offer them besides that? Because I can feel my knees are leaving, my elbow hurts every morning when I get up [laughs]! I'm getting older. If they still like me, fine. Hopefully they will still continue to love my music.

What's your idea of a romantic evening?
If we could share some fish sticks, that'd be great [laughs]! For me and my wife, it's just simple things. If we can find the time to just go to the movies together and not worry about getting the boys to sleep or taking them to school in the morning. I pretty much cater to [my wife's] every whim. Whatever she wants. I like to ask her what she likes, and I think that after 14 years of being together, I pretty much know.