Brian McKnight

When the label came to me to say, ‘would you like to do another record,’ I said, ‘Well I got these sixteen songs sitting here, so let’s do it.’ And that was pretty much it… I never stopped writing, it’s just the way that the business is now; you just try to find a different model.

It is great to have your own label; you can cultivate your own artists… I’ve worked with pretty much everyone I wanted to.

I started as a writer and when I sent my demos out everyone wanted to know who was singing and if that person wanted a record deal.

I’m not sure if Donald Trump is the answer, but I do think that the departure from traditional politicians may be the answer. I’m not sure if he is, but I like the idea of getting away from career politicians.

I’ve been a jazz artist playing pop and R&B my entire career.

Music used to be essential and meaningful, but now it’s disposable.

When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.

I sought some kind of freedom in music, in the promise of transcendence and the idea that the purity and the innocence of a mythical god could somehow deliver me from darkness.

Technique is the ability to translate your ideas into sound through your instrument.

You gotta love livin’, baby, ’cause dyin’ is a pain in the ass.

To keep creating you have to be about change.

If I’m not a jazz player all the time, I’ve at least been cued in to what I do by jazz.

Jazz is the continual pulsation of the now.

I wanted to connect my guitar to human emotions.

Every day I look forward to getting with my instruments, trying new things.

Anybody can write music of a sort. But touching the public heart is quite another thing.

You don’t know what you like, you like what you know. In order to know what you like, you have to know everything.

I never really thought about becoming a professional musician.

My creed for art in general is that it should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise . . . a part of yourself you never knew existed.

If you must listen to bad music, please use headphones.

You can’t copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you’re working without any real feeling.