Jordan Knight | |
---|---|
Knight in 2014
|
|
Background information | |
Birth name | Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight |
Born | May 17, 1970 |
Origin | Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America |
Genres | Dance-pop, adult contemporary, urban, soft rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instruments | Piano, vocals |
Years active | 1984–present |
Labels | Interscope Records |
Associated acts | New Kids on the Block, NKOTBSB, Deborah Gibson, Nick & Knight |
Website | JordanKnight.com |
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer in the boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), and as an actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his distinctive falsetto style of singing, influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids on the Block split in 1994, he launched a solo career. Jordan's first solo album, released in 1999, and his latest solo album, released in 2011, reached the Top 50 on the US Billboard 200. As of 2011, he released four Top 40 singles; the most well known being "Give It to You" in 1999. He has released three studio albums, one remix album and one EP. On May 31, 2011, he released the studio album, Unfinished. Knight has sold over 1.5 million records worldwide as a solo artist. In 2015, Boston City Council declared February 7 "Jordan Knight Day."
Knight was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, but holds American & Canadian citizenship. He is the youngest of 6 children: Allison, Sharon, David, Christopher, and Jonathan. Both his parents are Episcopal priests. He was close to 14 in 1984 when he joined New Kids on the Block, a band assembled in Boston by producer Maurice Starr. His fellow members included his brother, Jonathan Knight, as well as Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. Over the next few years he began teaching himself piano and keyboard instruments, and writing songs. Starr, who wrote much of the New Kids material, was reluctant to add his work to the band's repertoire.