Briana McKnight has been in the spotlight since her birth. She is the daughter of the singer-songwriter, Brian McKnight, who is one of the most renowned soul musicians to emerge from the latter half of the 20th century.
Briana McKnight’s Family
Briana McKnight is known around the world as the daughter of the famous musician, Brian McKnight. Her biological mother, Patricia Driver, was Brian’s girlfriend.
Her father, Brian Kelly McKnight was born on June 5, 1969, in Buffalo, New York to Claude McKnight, Jr. and Ruth Elaine Willis. His music experience began in childhood when he became a member of his church choir, directed by his grandfather. His grandfather was a pastor of a church, and his mother played the piano and sang in a gospel choir in Buffalo’s Emanuel Temple. He explored different genres of music, and in his early teens, he started musical ambitions by composing instrumental material while learning to play several instruments.
Brian attended Oakwood College, a Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama, Brian formed a band and began performing his original songs at local venues. His elder brother, Claude McKnight III is also a well-known musician and has a band of his own. Brian was married to singer-songwriter and his college sweetheart, Julie McKnight. They have two children together: Brian McKnight Jr. and Cole Nicolas Niko McKnight. They divorced in 2003. Brian also has a son from a previous relationship, named Clyde.
In 2014, Brian began dating Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza, a pediatric neurophysiologist. They announced their engagement in May 2017 and married on December 29, 2017. Leilani has two children from a previous relationship named Julia, and Jack. Brian and Leilani had a son, Kekoa Matteo, who died in infancy. Brian and Leilani had another son, Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight, born on January 23rd, 2023.
Briana McKnight’s Net Worth
Briana McKnight was born to a celebrated father and her stardom comes from him. Despite being a celebrated daughter, very little information is available about her career path, academics, net worth, etc. But it can be said that she lives a healthy lifestyle.
Briana’s father, Brian McKnight, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host, and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range, and melisma. His self-titled 1992 debut album went on to sell over 1 million copies. Between 1995 and 2017, he released 12 more studio albums. His most successful album to date is 1999’s “Back at One” which sold over 3 million copies around the world.
Brian’s work has earned him 16 Grammy Award nominations, third only to Zubin Mehta and Snoop Dogg for the record of most Grammy nominations without a win. He has twice been nominated for MTV Video Music Awards, once at BET Awards and once at American Music Awards. has released more than a dozen studio albums and made several television appearances. He has a net worth of $50 million.