LISTEN: Brian McKnight Pens Emotional Song For Kobe Bryant, Gigi
Get those tissues ready. You've been warned.
Brian McKnight is famous for his heartbreaking songs with a mix of ballad and R&B. During circa 1992 to 2000s, his songs like "Back at One," "6,8,12," "Win," and "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" have dominated the airwaves.
His album has been on shuffle mode in first-generation iPods, and every breakup moment will not be complete without playing "One Last Cry" over and over again until tears dry up those eyes.
For the past few years, fans have not heard Brian McKnight's beautiful voice and surely missed his incredible lyrics. Over the weekend, the American singer once again made headlines for a new song that he wrote, which is not like any of the songs he did before.
The 17-time Grammy nominee singer/songwriter actually penned an emotional song inspired by the recent tragic death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant.
In a video obtained by TMZ, the 50-year-old R&B crooner gave us a sneak peek of the song entitled "Can't Say Goodbye."
"It's been a tough week. You know I don't think I've ever seen in my lifetime, the whole world, light a candle together and feel exactly the same way about the passing of our brother Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, and the seven other folks on the helicopter," Brian said before performing an acoustic version of the news song.
He added that although he wrote the song himself, he cannot take credit as the words keep pouring out of him as if "the song wrote itself."
Brian's tribute song to Kobe starts with lyrics: "We may not know the mysteries of life/ How candles blow out while it was burning so bright/We'll say so long, but we can't say goodbye."
If you think Brian's 90's songs are heartbreaking enough, wait until you hear the lines "Someone like you comes only once in a lifetime," which every works screams the memories of the 18-time NBA All-star.
The entire song talks about different versions of saying goodbye without actually saying the word itself, and it is painfully beautiful.
According to the report, Brain wrote the song in the hopes that fans and loved ones of Kobe could start the healing process from their sudden death.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Brian confirmed that "Can't Say Goodbye" will be a part of his last and final album which will drop in May 2020.
During the interview with TMZ Live, the singer also said that he would be glad to sing the said song on Kobe's memorial if the family asked him to.
Aside from being a fan, Brian had a chance to work with Kobe back in 1998 when they collaborated in his song called "Hold Me." The Los Angeles Lakers star raps a verse of near the end of the song.
Generally, Brian is a huge Lakers fan. His track "I Love LA," serves as a tribute to the NBA team. The official music video with tons of Lakers' most significant moment proves how much he loves the team and the city.
