Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is a singer in the boy band

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...

(NKOTB), who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using a

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

style of singing influenced by

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of ...

. After New Kids on the Block split in 1994, he launched a solo career. Knight's first solo album, released in 1999, and his latest solo album, released in 2011, reached the Top 50 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200. As of 2011, he released four Top 40 singles; the best known being " Give It to You" in 1999. Knight has released three solo albums, one

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...

and one EP. On May 31, 2011, Knight released the studio album, ''

Unfinished Unfinished may refer to: *Unfinished creative work, a work which a creator either chose not to finish or was prevented from finishing. Music * Symphony No. 8 (Schubert) "Unfinished" * ''Unfinished'' (album), 2011 album by American singer Jor ...

''. Knight has sold over 1.5 million records worldwide as a solo artist. In 2015, Boston City Council declared February 7 "Jordan Knight Day".

Early life and career

Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight was born in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

, Massachusetts, but holds American and Canadian citizenship. His parents are Canadian, his father is from

Meaford, Ontario Meaford is a municipality in Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Meaford is located on Nottawasaga Bay, a sub-basin of Georgian Bay and Owen Sound Bay, in the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in southern Ontario. The municipality's ...

and his mother is from

Dunnville, Ontario Dunnville is an unincorporated community located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada near the historic Talbot Trail. It was formerly an incorporated town encompassing the surrounding area with a total populat ...

. He is the youngest of 6 children: Allison, Sharon, David, Christopher, and Jonathan. His father is an Episcopal priest. Before fame, he played in a youth baseball league in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was often called out by his teammates for his lack of athleticism, and was told he "throws like a girl". Knight dealt with bullying throughout his childhood and during his early teen years. Jordan was almost 14 years old in 1984 when he joined

, a band assembled in Boston by producer

Maurice Starr Larry Curtis Johnson (born July 14, 1953), better known by his stage name Maurice Starr, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work creating songs and albums with boy bands New Edition and New Kids on ...

. His fellow members included his brother

Jonathan Knight Jonathan Rashleigh Knight-Rodriguez (born November 29, 1968) is an American singer. He is best known for being a member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. It also includes Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and his younger brother Jo ...

, as well as

Joey McIntyre Joseph Mulrey McIntyre (born December 31, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the youngest member of the pioneering boy band, New Kids on the Block. He has sold over one million records worldwide as a solo a ...

Donnie Wahlberg Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. (born August 17, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, record producer, and film producer. He is a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. Outside music, he has had roles in the ''Saw ...

, and

Danny Wood Daniel William Wood (born May 14, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. He is a member of the American boy band New Kids on the Block and also served as a choreographer for the band in late 80s and 90s ...

. Over the next few years, he began writing songs and teaching himself piano and keyboard instruments. Starr, who wrote much of the New Kids material, was reluctant to add his work to the band's repertoire. New Kids on the Block have sold over 80 million records worldwide, generated hundreds of million of dollars in concert revenues and paved the way for later boy bands like

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

and *NSYNC.

disbanded in 1994, but reunited in 2008.

Solo career

Knight made a comeback in 1999 by releasing his first solo single, " Give It To You". The single reached No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, went

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, and was nominated for the 1999 MTV Video Music Award for

Best Dance Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video was first awarded in 1989, and it was one of the original four genre categories that were added to the MTV Video Music Awards that year. With a revamp of the awards in 2007, the category was cut out ...

, though it lost to

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

's "

Livin' La Vida Loca "Livin' la Vida Loca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999). The song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child, while the production was handl ...

". He was also nominated for ''Favorite Male Singer'' at the

2000 Kids' Choice Awards The 13th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 15, 2000, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, live on Nickelodeon, with around 17,000 in attendance at the venue. Rosie O'Donnell hosted for the fifth consecutive year, along wi ...

. The single also peaked at No. 35 on the

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart. The album ''

Jordan Knight Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is a singer in the boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using a falsetto style of singing influenced by ...

'' won an Aspire Music Award for Best Male Album (Pop). Knight's self-titled debut album was then certified gold for sales of over 500,000 copies in the US on July 7, 1999. The album peaked at No. 29 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 9 on the

Top Internet Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the '' ...

chart. In 2008, the New Kids on the Block reunited and released 2 top 40 hits and went on a successful tour. In the fall of 2010, they teamed with the Backstreet Boys (BSB), creating the boy band

NKOTBSB NKOTBSB was an American pop supergroup consisting of the members of American boy bands New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys. Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys came up with the name, which is a combination of established initialisms of ea ...

, and toured in summer 2011. Knight released a remix album, '' Jordan Knight Performs New Kids on the Block: The Remix Album'', in 2004. In 2005, Knight released an EP titled ''The Fix'' supported by the lead single "Where Is Your Heart Tonight", which reached its peak at No. 12 on the ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. He continued to tour extensively in 2005–2006 promoting the EP. In September 2006, Knight's next album, ''

Love Songs A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

'', was released by

Transcontinental Records Louis Jay Pearlman (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016) was an American record producer. He was the person behind many successful 1990s boy bands, having formed and funded the Backstreet Boys. After their massive success, he then developed NSYNC. ...

. The first single was "Say Goodbye", a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

with

Deborah Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

, that peaked at No. 24 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart. On May 31, 2011, Knight released his third solo album, ''

''. The album reached No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Independent Albums chart, No. 48 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 55 in Canada. He announced began his Live and Unfinished Tour on December 11, 2011. Knight performed the announced dates with Boston-based band Elevation Theory. In 2014, Knight teamed up with Nick Carter for the release of the album ''

Nick & Knight ''Nick & Knight'' is an eponymous collaborative album by American singer-songwriters Nick Carter and Jordan Knight, under the collective stage name of ''Nick & Knight''. The album was released on September 2, 2014. A promotional song, "Just The T ...

''. The duo toured throughout the fall of that year in support of the album.

Restaurant partnership

In 2016, Knight became a partner in an Italian restaurant called Novara in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

Television

Knight was a judge on the ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' spin-off, ''

American Juniors ''American Juniors'' is an American reality television singing competition series that was broadcast for one season from June 3 to August 19, 2003, on Fox. The series was a spin-off of ''American Idol'', but with younger contestants. The show ha ...

''. He was a third-season cast member on the

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

reality television series ''

The Surreal Life ''The Surreal Life'' is an American reality television series that records a group of celebrities as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks. The format of the show resembles that of ''The Real W ...

'' with other celebrities in 2004. He later appeared in the 2007 spin-off '' The Surreal Life: Fame Games'', but left during the filming of the premiere episode because of the death of his maternal grandmother. In 2005, Knight appeared on the British show '' Hit Me Baby One More Time'', where he performed "Give It To You", as well as a cover of " Let Me Love You" by

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

. In September 2005, Knight also starred in a British documentary on

Five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

in the UK called ''Trust Me – I'm a Holiday Rep''. Six celebrities spent 10 days in the role of an Olympic Holidays holiday rep in

Ayia Napa Ayia Napa ( el, Άγια Νάπα tr, Aya Napa, ), officially romanised Agia Napa, is a tourist resort at the far eastern end of the southern coast of Cyprus. Etymology The name Ayia Napa is derived from a Venetian-era monastery of the same ...

, Cyprus. He initially lacked enthusiasm for the role, which he blamed to some extent on his shyness, but came to enjoy it. In his final debriefing he earned praise from the head reps, who said they would (hypothetically) offer him a job as a children's and transfer rep. Knight also appeared on the game show ''

Identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...

'', hosted by

Penn Jillette Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured ...

. In September 2011, he featured as a judge on the CBC show ''

Cover Me Canada ''Cover Me Canada'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which airs on CBC Television. The show is a competition to find the most talented singer, rock band, group, or ensemble in Canada. The show is hosted by Canadian-born pop singe ...

''.

Personal life

Knight has been married to Evelyn Melendez since 2004. They have two sons. Knight lives in

Discography

Solo albums * ''

'' (1999) *'' Jordan Knight Performs New Kids on the Block: The Remix Album'' (2004) * ''Love Songs'' (2006) * ''

'' (2011) Collaborative albums * ''

'' (2014, with Nick Carter)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Jordan 1970 births Living people 20th-century American singers 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American singers American child singers American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American male pop singers American male singers American male songwriters American male television actors American people of Canadian descent American soft rock musicians Countertenors English High School of Boston alumni Interscope Records artists Male actors from Boston Male actors from Worcester, Massachusetts Musicians from Boston Musicians from Worcester, Massachusetts Naturalized citizens of Canada New Kids on the Block members NKOTBSB members People from Dorchester, Massachusetts People from Milton, Massachusetts Record producers from Massachusetts Singers from Massachusetts Songwriters from Massachusetts