The first music that came to my ear was gospel... I used to sing 'Amazing Grace' with a very strong southern accent and a vibrato already at five years old.
I love singing devotional songs, in whatever language.
For four years, my mum allowed only church music in the house.
I'm very soulful. I grew up singing in church. When I sing a song, I like to feel what I'm singing.
I really learned to sing in church, I think, really with emotion.
I'm a Christian, but I'm just an artist. I'm a musician.
I grew up singing in church as a little boy.
I've always loved gospel music. Being raised in Mississippi, it was kind of part of the atmosphere down there.
I actually started singing in church when I was about five years old. I remember looking at the choirs and just hearing all of those great big beautiful voices. And there was this one woman who could just wail. And I remember trying to sing like her when I was like going home.
Music was brought up in the church.
The first songs I wrote were catchy, but the subject matter was God.
I come from the performance world, but the idea of a worship song is different. It's useful music.
I'm a true singer who grew up singing in church, so I love singing my heart out.
Santa Monica, where I have always lived, is not a town where you will find storefront Church of God in Christ churches. So, the whole idea of gospel quartet singing is something I never knew existed until I began to hear it on record.
My next project will be a Christian album, another one. I wrote the songs for the ones you're referring to, but I want to do some of my old gospel favorites. That's what my next album's going to be.
I've been singing forever; I grew up singing in church.
The Church knew what the psalmist knew: Music praises God. Music is well or better able to praise him than the building of the church and all its decoration; it is the Church's greatest ornament.
Sincere composers believe in God.
Gospel music was very prevalent in my house. My mother also loved Nat King Cole. That was some of the first music that I heard. Mahalia Jackson, Nat King Cole and the Mississippi Mass Choir.
I didn't grow up listening to musicals. I sang coritos or Spanish spiritual songs and was raised on gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
I was raised in a Christian household and heard a lot of praise music, so that's what helps me get to an emotional place.
Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.
So I wanted to sing inspirational music, and that's exactly how I approached it - only the words have been changed to declare my relationship with God.
There are a lot of bad worship songs, in my opinion, but there are a lot of good ones, too.
My entrance to music was singing gospel in church, and to hear that gospel language in a hip-hop song was cool.
