Brian McKnight

Whenever I fill out the job description I put 'songwriter', never 'singer' or 'artist.' Singers come and go. ”

He knows I rip him off every day. He's the godfather for me. Nobody can say they aren't influenced by what Stevie Wonder has done. ”

I just want people to take a step back, take a deep breath and actually look at something with a different perspective. But most people will never do that. ”

I went back and listened to the first three albums I made and tried to figure out what was special about them, why people keep going back to them. I think it was because I didn't know what I was doing. I had no idea if they were going to play it on the radio or anything. All I did was write songs, so that's what I got back to. ”

Lionel Richie told me forget about the critics. But if you come back with hit after hit, you don't have to worry about anything. ”

I'll always write music. Whether I release a record, whether I let the public hear it or not, I'm always writing music. ”

I kind of hate the fact that people are always trying to put you into a category. I hate walls, and I hate boundaries. I don't like that. I listen to everything. ”

A lot of musicians put diamonds on things to show they had money. I on the other had felt that Daytona showed I had style and I didn't need to be flashy. ”

A fine timepiece is part of dressing like a gentleman. When I first made a little money, I bought my first watch which was a Rolex Daytona. It was just one of those things that said I was successful. ”

Every little kid that steps on the court or the field has aspirations to go pro. I think being a pro basketball player is the best job. The thing I had to realize was that I can't do every dream that I have. ”