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.
I come from the performance world, but the idea of a worship song is different. It's useful music.
Music was brought up in the church.
The first songs I wrote were catchy, but the subject matter was God.
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.
Sincere composers believe in God.
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.
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.
I didn't grow up listening to musicals. I sang coritos or Spanish spiritual songs and was raised on gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
I've been singing forever; I grew up singing in church.
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 was raised in a Christian household and heard a lot of praise music, so that's what helps me get to an emotional place.
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.
Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.
