Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range, and Melissa. His work has earned him 16 Grammy Award nominations, third only to Zubin Mehta and Snoop Dogg for the record of most nominations for the award without a win.
His first hit song, "Love Is" (with Vanessa Williams) was recorded for the Beverly Hills, 90210 soundtrack in 1993, and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, his single "One Last Cry" peaked at number 13 on the chart and spawned from his eponymous debut studio album (1992), which was released by Mercury Records the year prior and received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 1997 single, "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" (featuring Mase) peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led his third album, Anytime (1997)—his final release with Mercury before he signed with Motown. His 1999 single, "Back at One" peaked at number two on the chart and remains his highest-charting song; it preceded the album of the same name (1999), which was the first of four of his albums—Superhero (2001), U Turn (2003), and Gemini (2005)—to consecutively debut within the top ten of the Billboard 200. His ninth album, Ten (2006) marked his final major label release.
He was married from 1990-2003 to singer-songwriter, Julie McKnight, and they have two sons together. He also has a daughter he fathered from a previous relationship.
In 2014, he began dating Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza, a pediatric neurophysiologist, and they announced their engagement in May 2017 and on December 29, 2017, they were married. Mendoza has two children from a previous relationship. McKnight and Mendoza had a son who died in infancy. In December 2022, they had another son, Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr. McKnight legally changed his name to Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. to match his new son's name.
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