River Knight

# River Knight (fictional artist)

River Knight in March 2007

Toronto, Ontario, CA

**River Angelle Knight** (born January 2, 1990) is a Canadian-American pop singer. Born and raised in Ontario, her family relocated to Los Angeles, California after she was offered a record deal with Liquid Richard Records. She rose to fame following the release of her debut self-titled album.

## Life and Career

### 1990 - 2006: Early Life and Career Beginnings

River Angelle Knight was born on January 2, 1990 in Ontario to Stacy Terese Knight and Jeff Robert Knight. She had no limbs until the age of 2 due to a chromosome deletion syndrome; she later miraculously regrew them like a starfish. Her twin sister, River #2, was tragically mauled to death by a rabid raccoon in 1994.

Knight became interested in music at age 8 after her father pressured her into it so he could get rich and live out his dreams through her. She has said on multiple occasions that her biggest inspiration is Bill Cosby.

At age 11, Knight's father was arrested for attempted murder for bringing another rabid raccoon into the home. He is set to be released in 2013.

Knight began performing in local coffee shops at age 13. At age 15, her mother agreed to move to California with her and their non-rabid raccoon, Crunchy, after Liquid Richard Records heard a demo of what would become her self-titled album.

On June 5, 2006, *River Knight* was released following the album's two singles, "In the Moment" and "Autumn." The album was praised by critics and given both an A- fan and critic rating. The album sold 73,000 units in its first week and charted in all regions except Oceania, peaking at #21 on the world charts. As of June 2007, the album has sold just over 300,000 units worldwide.

### 2006 - 2009: First World Tour and *Monday*

In August 2006, Knight embarked on a 60-date world tour that lasted until November of the same year. 97% of tickets were sold, and reviewers praised her stage presence and energy.

On her 17th birthday in January 2007, Knight announced that she was working on a second studio album. On May 6, 2007, an anonymous source claimed that the album was scrapped and set to be rerecorded due to "creative differences" with the producers. They also leaked the title, *Monday.* Liquid Richard Records confirmed these rumors the next day.

*Monday* was released on February 4, 2008. Due to poor sales, the album saw a re-release in the US and UK in April of the same year. Despite the lack of sales, she received a boost in popularity. *Monday* was given another A- fan and critic rating, with many critics calling it "album of the year." Knight claimed that *Monday* was mostly songs that hadn't made it onto *River Knight* and that they, therefore, were not representative of her current taste or talent.

Her popularity boost led to her being nominated for Best New Artist at the 2008 Grammy Awards as well as Best Album at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards for *Monday.* *Monday* also won the VMA for Best Album in 2008.

Knight embarked on a second world tour on April 20, 2008. The 60-date American leg of the tour sold out 66,000 tickets. The tour continued in November 2008 in Brazil and ended in January in Indonesia. Total attendance was 270,000.

Knight's Grammy win for *Monday* and Grammy nomination for Artist of the Year led to a rapid boost in her popularity and sales. Despite *Monday*'s poor sales upon release, it went on to sell 350,000 units and spent 40 weeks in the top 200 in the US and UK.

### 2009 - present: *September* and Girlboss

*September* was released on March 23, 2009. It sold 530,000 units in its first week and debuted at #2 on both the US and World charts. Critics praised the album and for it she won best album at the 2009 VMAs and 2009 Teen Choice Awards. She won her second Grammy in 2010, this one for Best Pop Album. It was also the 37th best selling album of 2009.

On October 19, 2009, River Knight announced the cancellation of her third world tour after 60 shows in the United States, citing mental health issues. She also announced a hiatus to focus on passion projects, claiming that she felt burnt out and was tired of "making the same album over and over again." A week later, *September* was certified 2x platinum in North America.