Look up Brian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Brian is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin,^[1] as well as a surname of Occitan origin.^[2] It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble".^[1] For example the element bre means "hill"; which could be transferred to mean "eminence" or "exalted one".^[2] The name is quite popular in Ireland, on account of Brian Boru, a 10th century king of Ireland. The name was also quite popular in East Anglia during the Middle Ages. This is because the name was introduced to England by Bretons following the Norman Conquest.^[1] Bretons also settled in Ireland along with the Normans in the 12th century, and 'their' name was mingled with the 'Irish' version.^[2] Also, in the north-west of England, the 'Irish' name was introduced by Scandinavian settlers from Ireland. Within the Gaelic speaking areas of Scotland, the name was at first only used by professional families of Irish origin.^[1] It was the fourth most popular male name in the United Kingdom in 1934, but a sharp decline followed over the remainder of the 20th century and by 1994 it had fallen out of the top 100.^[3]

The surname Brian is sometimes an English and Irish variant spelling of the surname Bryan. The English and French surname Brian is sometimes derived from the personal Celtic personal name shown above. The surname Brian can also sometimes be a French surname; derived from the Old Occitan word brian, meaning "maggot" and used as a nickname.^[2]

Variants of the name include Briant, Brien, Bran, Brion, Bryan, Bryant, Brjánn (in Icelandic) and Bryon.^[4]

Selected people with this name[link]

• Brian (mythology), Celtic mythological figure

Surname

• Donald Brian (1877-1948), Canadian-American actor, dancer, and singer
• Havergal Brian (1876–1972), British classical composer
• Mary Brian (1906–2002), American actress and movie star

Given name

• Brian Alderson (1950–1997), Scottish footballer
• Brian Bell (musician) (born 1968), member of American rock group Weezer
• Brian Blessed (born 1937), English actor
• Brian Boitano (born 1963), American figure skater
• Brian Boru (941-1014), Irish king who overthrew the centuries-long domination of the Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill
• Brian Clough (1935–2004), British football manager
• Brian Cowen (born 1960), former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland
• Brian de la Puente (born 1985), NFL football player
• Brian De Palma (born 1940), American film director
• Brian Eno (born 1948), English electronic musician, music theorist and record producer
• Brian Epstein (1934–1967), English businessperson, manager of The Beatles
• Brian Horwitz (nickamed "The Rabbi"; born 1982), American major league baseball outfielder
• Brian Johnson (born 1947), member and lead vocalist of the hard rock band AC/DC
• Brian Johnston (1912–1994), British cricket commentator
• Brian Jones (1942–1969), founding member, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist in the English rock group The Rolling Stones
• Brian Joo (born 1981), American-born Korean singer, former member of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky
• Brian Jossie (born 1977), American professional wrestler performing under the ring name of Abraham Washington
• Brian Joubert (born 1984), French figure skater and 2007 World Champion
• Brian Lara (born 1969), former West Indian cricketer
• Brian Laudrup (born 1969), former Danish international soccer player
• Brian Littrell (born 1975), member of the boy band, The Backstreet Boys
• Brian May (born 1947), famous guitarist from the band, Queen
• Brian McKnight (born 1969), R&B singer
• Brian Molko (born 1972), lead vocalist of the band Placebo
• Brian Moore (disambiguation)
• Brian Moorman (born 1976), American football player for the Buffalo Bills
• Brian Mulroney (born 1939), former Canadian prime minister (1984–1993)
• Brian O'Driscoll (born 1979), Irish rugby player
• Brian Paddick (born 1958), British politician
• Brian Peaker (born 1959), Canadian rower
• Brian Piccolo (1943–1970), American football player for the Chicago Bears and subject of TV movie Brian's Song
• Brian Retterer (born 1972), American swimmer
• Brian Smith (disambiguation)
• Brian Urlacher (born 1978), American football player for the Chicago Bears
• Brian Viloria (born 1980), American boxer
• Brian Warner (born 1969), American singer, better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson
• Brian Westbrook (born 1979), American football player for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Brian Wilson (born 1942), member of American music group, The Beach Boys
• Brian Wilson (baseball) (born 1982), pitcher for the San Francisco Giants

Fictional characters

• Brian Griffin on Family Guy, voiced by Seth MacFarlane
• Brian Kinney on Queer as Folk (US), played by Gale Harold

Media titles[link]

Some films and television shows which contain the name Brian include:

• Brian's Song (1971, 2001)
• Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
• What About Brian, television series that began in 2006
• Burying Brian, mini New Zealand TV series

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Brian"
• Brian (disambiguation)
• Bryan (given name)
• List of Irish-language given names

References[link]

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

This page or section lists people with the surname Brian. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Brian McKnight
Background information
Born	(1969-06-05) June 5, 1969 (age 43)
Origin	Buffalo, New York, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, quiet storm
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Producer
Instruments	Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass guitar, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Tuba, Percussion
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Mercury (1988–1997) Motown (1998–2005) Warner Bros. (2006–2008) E1 Music (2009-Present)
Website	bmcknight.com

Brian McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays eight instruments including piano, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet.^[1]. McKnight is perhaps most recognized for his strong falsetto range, and is widely regarded as one of the strongest talents in the adult urban contemporary R&B genre, although his recent efforts have received mixed reviews.

McKnight's work has earned him 16 Grammy Awards nominations, but currently holds the record for having won none.

Biography[link]

1969-1986: Early life and career beginnings[link]

McKnight was born in Buffalo, New York. His musical career began in childhood when he became a member of his church choir and a band leader for his high school, Sweet Home High School.^[2].

1987-1997: Mercury Records[link]

In 1987, McKnight's older brother, Claude McKnight III, and his band, Take 6, signed a record deal with Warner Brothers. This encouraged McKnight to shop his own demo tapes and by the age of 19, he'd signed his first recording deal with Mercury Records subsidiary, Wing Records.^[2] In 1992, Brian McKnight was released, and his self-titled debut peaked at fifty-eight in the Billboard 200 chart, which primarily featured the ballad (and top twenty single) "One Last Cry". It was followed by two more albums for Mercury, 1995's I Remember You and 1997's Anytime. Anytime, McKnight's final album with Mercury, sold over two million copies and was nominated for a Grammy. The video for "Anytime", directed by Darren Grant, was nominated for Best Male Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

In 1997, McKnight recorded "Remember the Magic" for Disney World's 25th anniversary.

1997-2003: Motown Records[link]

McKnight signed with Motown in 1998 and released the Christmas album Bethlehem. In 1999, McKnight released Back at One, his most successful album at date, which eventually went on to sell over 3 million copies.

2004-2012: Warner Brothers and Television/Radio Career[link]

In 2004, McKnight co-wrote with Australian Soul artist Guy Sebastian the song "Wait", off Sebastian's Beautiful Life album.

In October 2007, McKnight made his Broadway debut in the show Chicago.

From 2006 to 2010 he hosted a radio show, The Brian McKnight Morning Show with Pat Prescott on KTWV The Wave in Los Angeles, CA. The show was briefly simulcast on KHJZ-FM, Smooth Jazz 95.7 The Wave in Houston, TX from 6AM-9AM CST.

On January 26, 2009, McKnight hosted "The Brian McKnight Show" from 7PM-Midnight on 98.7 KISS FM in New York City.

In 2009, he appeared in the second season of Celebrity Apprentice.^[3] Each celebrity played to raise money for the charity of his or her choice; McKnight elected to play for Youthville USA.

From September 2009 to May 2010, McKnight hosted ^[4] The Brian McKnight Show, a late night talk show billed as a combination of talk and variety, aired in syndication. The show was cancelled on May 29, 2010 after one season.

On March 31, 2011 McKnight sang the National Anthem for MLB Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio with his sons Brian, Jr. and Niko. He had previously sung the National Anthem for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio, Game 6 of the 2002 World Series in Anaheim, California, near his Los Angeles home, and the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit. McKnight has also made numerous other "National Anthem" appearances throughout his career.

On April 23, 2012 McKnight posted to youtube "If You're Ready To Learn", which has been characterized by Billboard as a "filthy jam." Billboard selected this lyric from the work to quote: "Let me show you how your p---y works/Since you didn't bring it to me first." ^[5] Other media outlets such as MTV and the Toronto Sun have also written about McKnight's recent, more adult-orientated efforts.^[6][7]

Artistry[link]

McKnight's vocal style draws from Stevie Wonder (particularly in his use of melisma), Michael Sembello, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and his own brother, Take 6 co-founder Claude V. McKnight. Soul singer James Ingram also strongly influenced McKnight. His music production sensibilities, including his penchant for piano based pop ballads, method of background vocal recording and melismatic voice inflections all draw from Ingram. McKnight also has the uncanny ability to mimic the timbre and style of other singers such as Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Prince.

Throughout his career, McKnight has collaborated with a variety of musicians including Mariah Carey, Sin Bandera, Mase, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Marcus Cole, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Vanessa Williams, Ivete Sangalo, Kirk Franklin, For Real, Canibus, Quincy Jones, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, Regine Velasquez, Shoshana Bean, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Rascal Flatts, Willie Nelson, Talib Kweli, MJG (of the Southern Rap duo Eightball & MJG), Josh Groban (on his 2007 #1 Christmas album Noel Schajris), and CeCe Peniston.

In 1992, he released his self-titled debut album, Brian McKnight, which peaked at fifty-eight in the Billboard 200 chart and features the Billboard Hot 100 top twenty hit single "One Last Cry".

McKnight's work has earned him 16 Grammy Awards nominations but holds the record for having won none.

Personal life[link]

McKnight is divorced and has three sons: Brian Jr., Niko and Clyde. McKnight currently lives in Los Angeles, California.^[8]

Religion[link]

Brian McKnight was previously a Seventh-day Adventist. He grew up attending Emmanuel Temple. He also attended Oakwood University, a Seventh-day Adventist university, in Huntsville, Alabama from 1987-1989. McKnight explains, concerning his musical beginnings in the church^{[citation needed]}:

"I'm the fifth generation of Seventh Day Adventists and the youngest of four brothers. When I was still very small, we formed a gospel quartet. Our models were the great gospel groups, the Swan Silvertones and Mighty Clouds of Joy. The McKnight brothers were serious singers. The reputation went out: these boys could shout. My big brothers—Claude (a part of the gospel group Take 6), Freddie and Michael—man, they were my heroes. Each was a leader in his own right. Outside church, they listened to jazz. Church music thrilled me, but jazz stimulated me."^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Studio

• Brian McKnight (1992)
• I Remember You (1995)
• Anytime (1997)
• Bethlehem (1998)
• Back at One (1999)
• Superhero (2001)
• U Turn (2003)
• Gemini (2005)
• Ten (2006)
• Evolution of a Man (2009)
• Just Me (2011)

Compilation

• From There to Here: 1989-2002 (2002)
• Gold (2007)
• 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection – The Best of Brian McKnight (2007)
• Ultimate Collection (2009)
• Icon: Love Songs (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

• American Music Awards

• • 1999, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: Anytime (Nominated)

2010

• BET Awards
  • 2007, BET J Cool Like Dat: (Nominated)

• Grammy Awards
  • 2005, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "What We Do Here" (Nominated)
  • 2004, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda" (Nominated)
  • 2003, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "All the Way" w/ Kenny G (Nominated)
  • 2002, Outstanding Song Written for a Motion Picture of Television Series: "Win" from Men of Honor (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Still" (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best Pop Collaboration w/ Vocals: "My Kind of Girl" w/ Justin Timberlake (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best R&B Song: "Love of My Life" (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "Love of My Life" (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "6, 8, 12" (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "Stay or Let It Go" (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "Coming Back Home" w/ Bebe Winans & Joe (singer) (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best R&B Album: Back at One (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best Short-Form Music Video: "Back at One" (Nominated)
  • 1999, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "The Only One For Me" (Nominated)
  • 1999, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Anytime" (Nominated)
  • 1994, Best Pop Collaboration w/ Vocals: "Love Is" w/ Vanessa L. Williams (Nominated)

McKnight holds a Grammy Awards record having received 16 nominations without a win.

• Image Awards
  • 2002, Outstanding Male Artist: Superhero (Nominated)
  • 2001, Outstanding Male Artist: "Stay or Let It Go" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Outstanding Male Artist: "Back at One" (Winner)

• MTV Video Music Awards
  • 2000, Best R&B Video: "Back at One" (Nominated)
  • 1998, Best R&B Video: "Anytime" (Nominated)

• Soul Train Awards
  • 2002, Best R&B/Soul Male Single: "Love of My Life" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best R&B/Soul Single Male: "Back at One" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best R&B/Soul Male Album: Back at One (Nominated)
  • 1999, Best R&B/Soul Male Album: "Anytime" (Winner)

References[link]

• Music.Yahoo.com

External links[link]

• Brian McKnight official website
• Brian McKnight entertainment website
• Brian McKnight's Biography from VH1
• Brian McKnight's Profile from VIBE
• Brian McKnight Fans Website
• Blogs.OrlandoSentinel.com
• Brian McKnight JUST ME 2011 World Tour

Brian Hooks (born July 27, 1973 in Bakersfield, California) is an actor, producer and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Nick Delaney on the UPN television sitcom Eve.

Movie career[link]

Brian’s first major role in film occurred as the central character in the urban classic, Phat Beach (1996), which was written and directed by Doug Ellin (creator of HBO’s Entourage). The success of Phat Beach ignited considerable demand in Hollywood for Brian, as he thereafter landed roles in many blockbuster films: High School High (1996), Bulworth (1998), Beloved (1998) and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). The big-screen notoriety was accompanied by his concurrent guest starring roles in many television series in the late 1990s, such as Cracker, NYPD Blue, Moesha, ER and The Parkers.

In 2000, with a dual film/television career in full swing, Brian sustained his momentum in Hollywood by delivering a hilarious performance as the central character in the comedy classic film 3 Strikes (2000), which has received considerable rotation on various cable channels for many years subsequent to its successful movie theatre and home video releases. Following 3 Strikes, Brian continued to star in, as well as executive produce, many low-budget straight-to-DVD hits: including Nothin’ 2 Lose (2000), The Luau (2001), The Chatroom (2002) and Malibooty (2003).

This decade, while furthering his on-camera success with additional major roles in popular films such as Soul Plane (2004), Brian began to refine his position by redirecting some of his efforts to the off-camera aspects of production. After developing and producing a low-budget film which produced a remarkable five-thousand percent return (5000%) on investment, Q: The Movie, Brian was first able to observe the distinct advantages, and lucrative nature, of successfully creating and developing motion pictures. As a result, and backed by major film distributors such as MGM, Brian began to produce low-budget independent films in between his many film/television acting roles.

Brian’s procession of straight-to-DVD films have been so wildly popular and successful throughout urban America that he was once anointed “The King of DVD” by the urban media. Currently, his production career remains as stirring as ever, as he has recently released a horror film thriller, 7eventy5ive (2008) (where Brian also makes his directorial debut), in addition to his current film, I Do… I Did (2009), which is slated for release in August. In light of the convincing success of his many previous film and television endeavors, and supported by a solid urban movie fan base, considerable achievements undoubtedly remain on the horizon in the multi-dimensional career of Brian Hooks. In 2009 stars also in Deon Taylor's Dead Tone alongside Jud Tylor, Rutger Hauer and Antwon Tanner.^[1] This is not the same Brian Hooks, as Brian Hooks the successful local news journalist in Savage-Guilford, Md.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Brian Hooks at the Internet Movie Database

Brian Shaw

Shaw on January 25, 2010
No. 20, 22, 7
Guard
Personal information
Born	(1966-03-22) March 22, 1966 (age 46) Oakland, California
Nationality	American
High school	Bishop O'Dowd
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College	Saint Mary's College of California (1983–1985) UC Santa Barbara (1986–1988)
NBA Draft	1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Pro career	1988–2003
Career history
As player:
1988–1989	Boston Celtics
1989–1990	Il Messaggero Roma (Italy)
1990–1992	Boston Celtics
1992–1994	Miami Heat
1994–1997	Orlando Magic
1997–1998	Golden State Warriors
1998	Philadelphia 76ers
1999	Portland Trail Blazers
1999–2003	Los Angeles Lakers
As coach:
2004–2011	Los Angeles Lakers (Assistant Coach)
2011–present	Indiana Pacers (Associate Head Coach)
Career highlights and awards
3× NBA Champion (2000–2002) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1989) Big West Conference Player of the Year (1988)
Career NBA statistics
Points	6,547 (7.0 ppg)
Rebounds	3,183 (3.4 rpg)
Assists	3,918 (4.2 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men’s basketball Competitor for  United States FIBA World Championship Gold 1986 Spain National team

Brian K. Shaw (born March 22, 1966) is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers. At 6' 6" he could play both guard spots, but was used primarily at point guard over the course of his 14 seasons in the league.

Early life[link]

Shaw grew up in Oakland, California with other future basketball stars such as Antonio Davis, Jason Kidd, and Gary Payton, as well as Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell.^{[citation needed]} He attended Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland and then St. Mary's College of California for his freshman and sophomore years of college. He then transferred to UC Santa Barbara for his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, he was named Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) player of the year as he led the Gauchos to their first ever NCAA tournament berth. He was taken with the 24th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Playing career[link]

In 1988, Shaw signed a one year contract with the Celtics. In 1989, Shaw signed a two-year contract to play with an Italian team, Il Messaggero Roma. At the end of January 1990, Shaw signed a 5 year deal with the Celtics. In June of that year, Shaw told the Celtics he planned to play for Il Messaggero during the 1990 season. The ensuing contract dispute, Boston Celtics v. Brian Shaw, which Shaw lost,^[1] became a relatively famous sports law case and is read in many law school contracts classes.^{[citation needed]}

During his NBA career, he played for the Celtics, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers. He was a member of four squads that made NBA Finals appearances: the 1995 Magic and the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Lakers (with the Laker teams all winning championships).

He also played for the US national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.^[2] Shaw hit a key 3 point basket in the waning moments of the gold medal game vs. the USSR that the U.S. won by 2.

Legacy[link]

While a member of the Heat, on April 8, 1993, Shaw hit a then-NBA record ten three-point field goals (out of 15 attempts) against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center, finishing with 32 points. Starting in 1994, he was one-half of the popular "Shaw-Shaq Redemption" (named after The Shawshank Redemption), an alley-oop from Shaw to Shaquille O'Neal that was popular with fans in both Orlando and Los Angeles (Shaw and O'Neal were also Laker teammates). In an interview with The Miami Herald in 2007, O'Neal claimed that the teammate he had most respected in his career was Shaw.^[3]

On NBA All-Star Weekend in 2000, held in Oakland, Shaw received a key to the City of Oakland along with his fellow Oakland natives Jason Kidd and Gary Payton.

Coaching career[link]

Shaw retired following the 2002–03 season. He worked for the Lakers as an Oakland-based scout during the 2003–04 season. He was appointed assistant coach of the Lakers during the 2004–05 season. He was considered for the Lakers head coaching job following Phil Jackson's retirement, but was ultimately passed over in favor of Mike Brown. On June 23rd, 2011 Shaw reached an agreement to join the Indiana Pacers as an assistant coach.

Personal life[link]

In July 1993, both of Shaw's parents and his sister were killed in an auto accident in Nevada.^[4] His sister's daughter survived the crash and Shaw, with help from his aunt, helped raise her.^[5] Shaw's wife, Nikki, is a professional chef.^[6] They married in 1998 and have two children.

References[link]

External links[link]

	Biography portal
	Basketball portal

• NBA.com Profile
• Brian Shaw at Basketball-Reference.com

Brian Joo (Hangul: 브라이언 주; born January 10, 1981), better known as simply Brian, is a Korean-American R&B, K-pop singer where he is known as a member of R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His solo album, The Brian was released in December 2006. His 2nd solo album, Manifold was released in December 2009.

He had two birth names as Brian Gintaek Joo for American, and Joo Jin-taek (Hangul: 주진택) for Korean. Later he changed his each real name to Brian Minkyu Joo for American, and Joo Min-kyoo (Hangul: 주민규) for Korean.^[2]

Early life[link]

Joo was born in Los Angeles, California to Korean immigrants. The family later moved to Absecon, New Jersey. Joo was raised with a strict Korean upbringing, and learned to speak Korean and adhere to Korean customs.^[3] Brian's older brother, Jason, and their parents are employed at casinos in Atlantic City.^{[citation needed]}

While attending Holy Spirit High School, a friend signed him up for an audition with Brothers Entertainment without Joo's acknowledgement. The company has discovered several Korean-Americans who wish to pursue an entertainment career in South Korea. After several months of training, he was sent to SM Entertainment in South Korea, and on December 9, 1999, made his debut as one of the two members of Fly to the Sky, along with Hwanhee, at the age of 17.

Joo later went on to attend Rutgers University, but only completed a single year. Attending school in the States while simultaneously being a recording artist in Korea became too demanding, and Joo decided to cease his education in the States and go to South Korea. While back in Seoul, Joo enrolled in Dongguk University, where he graduated from the Department of Theatre and Film.^[4]

Fly to the Sky[link]

Joo was a member of Fly to the Sky with Hwanhee, Brian sang and also rapped. As Fly to the Sky made its musical transition from bubblegum pop to heavy R&B, Joo felt discontent and inferior, and felt that Hwanhee was more appreciated for his vocal skills.^[5]

Joo has appeared on television many times. Since 2005, he has appeared on a number of variety shows, including hosting MBC's Music Core in 2006 and becoming a host for SBS's Green Gold in 2009.

In August 2009, Fly to the Sky decided to work on separate projects and have become solo singers under different labels.

Solo career[link]

During September 2006, Joo announced that the release of his debut solo album, The Brian.^[6] Originally scheduled for released in November 2006, the album was postponed to December. The album incorporated diverse genres such as classic pop, soul, and jazz. With this album, Joo hoped to gain more respect as an artist, rather than being known as "Fly to the Sky without Fany".^[7] He describes the reason for the solo album as,

First of all, I just wanted to do it. I also wanted to show that I could [be successful] as Brian (sic). When (Fly to the Sky) sang, many think Fany is the main vocal, and that I am the second vocal and a rapper. I won't mention his name, but one producer once said to Fany, "You are a really good singer", when he only said "Good job", to me. So I wanted to prove that I could do it too.

^[8]

Originally, the album was to be fully recorded in English.;^[9] due to lack of time, however, all tracks are in Korean, excluding the English track "All I Know". Joo performed his first single, "가지마" (Don't Go), on Mnet Countdown on December 7.^[10] He released three songs from the album to music website Melon.com.^[11] Released on December 18, the album debuted at #7 behind TVXQ and sold 15,376 copies in the first month.^[12] On January 21, "가지마" (Don't Go) was selected as the "Mutizen Song" on SBS Inkigayo.^[13] Due to hectic schedule, Joo has been suffering from vocal fold nodule.^[14]