Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Brian McKnight has come to terms with the “new normal.”
“We [my family and I], like everyone else, decided to sequester ourselves away from everyone, which wasn’t a stretch because my wife is the kind of person who doesn’t want me shaking hands and being close to people anyways,” said McKnight in a phone interview.
“The pandemic makes you realize how quickly you can get sick from someone. I don’t think we’re returning to a time when people are frivolous with how they interact with others.”
McKnight called touring “interesting” because he doesn’t have one-on-one interactions with fans as he once did in pre-COVID times.
“I kind of joke at the beginning of the show that although everyone in the audience is sitting very close together, I’m not coming down there with them, and they all laugh,” he said.
“It’s not because I don’t like them. It’s just the way things are these days. You cannot be careful enough.”
It may surprise diehard McKnight fans to know that many of his 90s classics, including “Anytime” and “Back At One,” didn’t come from a place of passion. McKnight said at that time in his life he was “just writing songs to be writing them.” But when he met his wife, Leilani, in 2014…
McKnight will perform in St. Louis with SWV and Lyfe Jennings for the “R&B Kickback” at 8 p.m. Saturday, August 13 at The Stifel Theatre. He said he’s looking forward to the evening being “a wonderful live nostalgic night from the 90s.”
“I play all the songs that people are coming to hear me sing, and I try to do them to the best of my ability,” he said. “My goal is for people to leave my show thinking they probably should have paid more.”
It may surprise diehard McKnight fans to know that many of his 90s classics, including “Anytime” and “Back At One,” didn’t come from a place of passion. McKnight said at that time in his life he was “just writing songs to be writing them.”
But when he met his wife, Leilani, in 2014 and married her in 2018, one of R&B’s leading men said he learned the true meaning of love. His ballads became more meaningful.
“I didn’t believe love existed the way we see in movies and often hear in music until I met my wife,” McKnight said. “I never loved anyone before. I don’t even think I liked anybody back then. I was a different person, but it takes a very special woman, and I finally found the right woman.”
He has dedicated his recent albums “Exodus” and “Genesis” to his wife. His album “Better” had two songs honoring her, as well.
“It’s my 20th [album], and I felt like that was a good round number to take a step back from creating entire bodies of work,” McKnight said. The song “Faithfully” is a testament to that,” he said.
McKnight isn’t stuck on the sounds of yesteryear and embraces younger artists’ works.
“I wouldn’t consider the music we created in the 90s R&B because it sounded nothing like The Temptations, The Four Tops, or The Supremes, but we all lumped it in together,” he said.
“I think it’s unfair to young artists who are making music to call it all R&B.”
He said he appreciates that current acts “have their own vision, music, style, and way of doing things.”
“I shy away from comparing,” he said. “Every 10 years, artists and writers have their way of doing things, and I applaud them all.”
McKnight said he is excited to return to St. Louis, a place he says was an integral part of the beginning of his career.
“Playing there at The Fabulous Fox early in my career was one of the best highlights,” he said. “Being able to come back 30 years later and still do shows is pretty remarkable and it’s only because of the support I had up there.”
He said St. Louis’ people and rich music history and heritage make it special.
“It’s something great about the Gateway to the West,” McKnight said. “They’re very astute musically about how they expect your music and you to sound. It makes St. Louis one of those places you circle on the map to come and play.”
Pull-Quote: “It makes St. Louis one of those places you circle on the map to come and play.”
For tickets and more information about McKnight’s show at Stifel, visit https://www.stifeltheatre.com/events/detail/brian-mcknight.