EXCLUSIVE: JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise: “Resting On His Promise”

Q: What does a legend in the making look like?

A: He looks like the young man who leads one of America’s premiere gospel choirs, JJ Hairston. A native of Brooklyn, New York, James “JJ” Hairston came of age in the very church where is own grandfather, Bishop Clarence Sexton Sr., was the pastor. As you can imagine, he was immersed in gospel music from an early age. But it would take an invitation to choir rehearsal by long time friend, Shawn Brown, to spark an interest that would eventually grow into a lifelong passion of praise.

Well known for his energetic style of singing and directing, JJ Hairston brings an exuberance and inspiration to gospel that refreshes the soul. Inspired by the songwriting of Thomas Whitfield, Richard Smallwood, Donald Lawrence, Kirk Franklin, and James Hall (to name a few), JJ also admires the directing styles of Ricky Dillard, and James Hall. The fusion of his talent, knowledge, and experience with the enthusiasm of his choir (whose members range in age from 21 to 35) gives JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise an ol’ school swagger with a contemporary edge that they will literally share with the world. Their current tour will take them from Omaha, NE; to Knoxville, TN; to New York, NY; Baltimore, Chicago, Austin and Dallas, TX to Italy and Switzerland. Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

When I caught up with JJ, he was gearing up for the release of his latest project, “Resting On His Promise,”(featuring gospel greats Myron Butler, Pastor Shirley Caesar, and Dorinda Clark-Cole) and in between tour dates. I discovered a young man with a maturity well beyond his years, but with a youthful spirit, open to all the possibilities of the future. For all his talent and acclaim, JJ Hairston is an extremely humble and very warm human being. His firm grounding in his faith provides him with a launching pad from which to reach the ever-ascending heights of his career.

To read the interview below is to become acquainted with one of gospel’s next-generation key-influencers, who by the way just happens to be a loving husband, a devoted father of a son (13 years old) and a daughter (6 years old), and a determined servant.

Enjoy And Be Blessed Family!

Elev8: Who did most of the writing for your current project?

JJ: Myself and my musical director wrote at least nine of the twelve songs on this album. We kind of pull together for all the songs. Even the songs that we don’t write, we still arrange musically and change some of the parts as well.

Elev8: What was the inspiration that lead to your starting Youthful Praise in the first place?

JJ: It started out as a church choir. My church is Cathedral of Praise in Bridgeport, Connecticut. We started years ago as teenagers. We started singing because we were too young to sing with the kids, but we weren’t old enough to sing with the adults. So we started doing our own songs. We started our own choir. We started recording and writing our own songs and it kind of went from there. Many years ago we recorded the first album, which was Awesome God, and it’s kind of been history since then.

Elev8: At one time Youthful Praise had as many as 30 members? Has number changed at all? And how do you tour with so many people?

JJ: We’re still at 30, but we only travel with nine to twelve because our people have families. So we try to alternate to give them a break. Some people will minister in certain cities and some people minister in others.[Switching off] is mostly what we do. I get the schedule and give it to the group. I mostly let people let me know what dates they are available, what they can do, and we take people accordingly. There are certain singers who…go everywhere because they sing lead parts. Otherwise we switch off so that everyone has a chance to go and everyone has time to spend with their families.

Elev8: You have toured extensively. Where has been your best reception?

JJ: There’s a church in Chicago, IL called New Life Oakwood Church. The worship and praise there was amazing. It just felt like it just complemented what we do. They weren’t really all that familiar with our ministry. We just went there to sing one Sunday morning. It was just an amazing experience. So they brought us back. The first time we went, there were 800 people. The next time we went, [there were] 4,500. Each time we just had an amazing worship experience. And in Maryland, there’s a 7^th Day Adventist Church that we go to every year [where] we just have an amazing time. We’ve had plenty of awesome experiences ministering out of those two churches. When I tell people we went to the 7^th Day Adventist Church and we have a good time, they are so shocked. But really the worship and the praise has been consistent with all the ministries that we go to, regardless of the nationality or the actual [denomination].

Elev8: You are married and your wife is part of Do you two alternate or do you both attend every tour date?

JJ: I have to go to every tour date. She goes with me. There are many dates I [am scheduled to] go to by myself, but I just bring her with me, ’cause I just have to have her with me.

Elev8: How does travel work with having children?

JJ: What we do is, we have a nanny that stays with the kids when we’re away.  But there are some dates when we take them with us. Not too much. But when we’re traveling often, we’ll bring them on some of the dates with us, when it doesn’t affect their school schedule and it doesn’t affect the venue we’re going to, we’ll bring them. Otherwise they stay home.

Elev8: So life for [your children] is pretty normalized and stable for the most part?

JJ: Oh definitely. We try not to have them all over the place. Like this year, we’re actually going to Italy and we’re taking them there because it’s during the Christmas season. But otherwise we try not to let what we’re doing affect them so much that they feel like

Elev8: What is your quiet time with God like?

JJ: I don’t feel like it always is the quantity but it’s the quality. So many people try to prove their prayer or worship time by how long it is. As opposed to it just being [about] the quality. I at least try to spend 20 minutes to a half hour in worshiping, praying in that private time with God so when I’m in front of people, it’s not anything strained. It’s something I’m doing all the time.

Elev8: Do you and your wife also pray together or study the bible together as a couple?

JJ: Yes, we do because actually because we’re both going into spoken ministry. We’ve actually had to teach a few messages together. So we’ve had to study together for that. She has a lot more time to study than I do. So we don’t do it as much as I’d like to, but we do sometimes worship and pray and study together.

Elev8: You mentioned that you are going into the spoken ministry, can you expound upon that?

JJ: We always minister through song. Now she’s already got her minister’s license and I’m going to get mine as well. So we’ll be teaching from the pulpit as well as ministering in worship.

Elev8: In any capacity for serving, there is a danger of working for the Lord that you lose that communion time with him. Is that a danger for you at all? Is that something you wrestle with?

JJ: Fortunately because I am the worship leader at my church, I’m not allowed to be just totally enamored with the whole business of gospel music. We still have the grounding that happens because I am responsible for the worship at my church. I always have to and I always do worship and praise the Lord on my own as well as when we’re in front of people so that communion that I have with God doesn’t change.

Elev8: If you had to speak or encourage someone who wants to do what you are doing, where their music wasn’t just a career but their calling, how would you encourage them to get started?

JJ: I would definitely say to make sure that they stay true to the ministry that God has given them and don’t be swayed by whatever fad or what seems popular at the time because there are many fads in gospel music. There are many fads also in preaching. You notice some people are really popular one day, or a certain style of message is popular one day, then it kind of phases into something different. And if you’re swayed by that then you’re never grounded in what God has given you, but you’re always moving with whatever the popular things of the day are. I would just say to stay true to whatever God has given you. And make sure you hear the call of God – you’re not doing it [pursuing music] for any other reason than that and God will bless you.

Elev8: Lastly, where is the group’s focus of ministry at this time?

JJ: There are some ministries whose focus is to win lost souls to the body of Christ. Our ministry is to people who are part of the body of Christ, who need to be encouraged and lifted. For so many years people thought that once you get saved you’re already in. You do what you have to do, and move on your own. But at the same time, you’re still people. Our message is to those people. Stay encouraged. Stay lifted. Stay in the faith and have faith that God will lift you [and] be with you.

Enough said!

Be sure to pre-order your copy of “Resting On His Promise” here!

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