R&B singer/songwriter Brian McKnight is no stranger to the hitmaking process. His ballads have brought him 16 Grammy nominations and nine songs in the Billboard top 20. On the other hand, several songs didn’t chart as highly as they had hoped. Brian has come to realize that the process of making a beloved single has little to do with whether or not the song is good.
“As a songwriter, when you write a song, you know that you love it,” the multi-talented instrumentalist says during his Oprah: Where Are They Now? interview. “What you don’t know before you get in this business is that the number of hands that song has to pass through—and the amount of money that has to go into—making sure that by the time it gets to the general public that it will be heard enough.”
Here, Brian explains how understanding the politics of the music and radio industries allows you to not take it personally when your latest song doesn’t climb the charts.
Tune in to Oprah: Where Are They Now on Saturday, April 30, for Brian’s full interview.
Published 04/06/2016
