JJ Hairston is the Stellar Award winning choir director and front man of contemporary choir JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise. The ensemble’s sixth album, You Deserve It, just debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums Chart, and No. 33 on Billboard’s Top-200 Chart.
When did you know that being a musician was your calling?
I really didn’t know until I was in my mid 20s. I started with my high school choir and the Teens of TFT (Turner Faith Temple), the latter which became Youthful Praise. I didn’t really know that this was what I was supposed to do until our second album in. Our first album was done as a hobby. After recording our second project, I knew this was my calling.
Describe three other occupations you’ve held.
I started as a computer programmer. I wasn’t’ interested in music at all. I started as a computer programmer with General Electric, and then worked for a company called Hubbell Wiring. I only retired from working with Hubble about three years ago. Up until then, I would go onstage and sing, and then go backstage and work on programming on my laptop. Other than that, there was never any other occupation that I was interested in. I really thought that was going to be my life, because I was a techie.
What inspires you to perform?
I would say our biggest inspiration is the ability and the desire to have an uplifting experience wherever we go. I really want people to forget about what they are dealing with, and whatever issues they are facing, and just have an experience with God every time we sing. That is our desire, and it seems like it is happening so far.
What instruments, if any, do you play?
The crazy thing is that I don’t play any instruments, which makes what I do a lot more interesting. It makes it interesting because I hear everything in my head, and I have to translate it to musicians. I have been able to do this successfully over the past few years, but it is always kind of difficult to get them to understand what I am hearing because I can’t actually play the music that I am hearing.
How would you describe you brand of music?
I have heard it called urban praise and worship, and that is about the best way to describe it. It is church driven, Black culture church driven even, but it lends itself to any culture.
When you are on stage what do you want to convey about your style?
I want everyone to sing along. We don’t want to be the type of group that everyone just sits and watches. Everything that we do is intentionally engaging. We do a lot of call and response songs because we want the audience to sing along with us.
Name three musicians who have influenced your approach to being a musician.
Israel Houghton, Fred Hammond, and Hezekiah Walker. All three of these artists’ sounds collectively makes up what we sound like. We blend choir music with praise and worship music. Fred Hammond did something similar with Radical for Christ. Those three artists really embody what we do.
Describe your creative process from concept to complete song.
It usually starts with a line or hook for a song. I will hear a hook, or – a lot of our songs have a chant – so I will hear a chant, and then I will write around that. I am not a writer who writes all of the time. I usually write when it is time to record. Sometimes what I will do is listen to the bible. I literally will let Bible YouTube just play, and I will take some of the stories and write songs around them. Also, a lot of experiences and some of the things that I’ve gone through make up the songs that I write.
How do you select your creative music partners to fashion your musical voice?
I have a band that I usually use. I like to keep everything within my band. We changed bands a couple of years ago, so for this current record we used my current band. I don’t like to get a new set of guys too record. I like to use the guys who are familiar with me and familiar with my style. That is what works best for me creatively.
What advice would you give anyone preparing to enter the music business about publishing and management?
As far as management is concerned, a manager should not just take dates for you. Management should have relationships to put you in different places. Management should guide your career. A lot of people have been misinformed to think that a manager is the same as a booking agent – it is not. Management guides your career, a booking agent specifically books your dates. As far as publishing, there has been a lot of discrepancy about how much you share and what you share. I would say be fair to people who are part of the creative process, and be fair to all of the writers. It winds up being a few more pennies spent here and there, but your integrity is maintained if you are fair to people who are a part of the process.
If you were going to sing for any famous person as a celebration of what they have done for humanity who would it be?
I would have to say Barack Obama. What he did for our culture is made something believable that, before him, was a mere hope. For so many years, we believed that we could have a Black president, in concept. He made it a reality. For that, I think our nation and our nationality owes him a debt of gratitude. He put a different face, he put our, African Americans, face in the White House. Also, by his record and what he accomplished, he was one of the best presidents our country has had. Not only was he great man in office but he made us all proud – and not just Black people, American people in general. So, I would have to say Barack Obama.
What effects do you want you music to have on society?
I want society to be lifted. We have so much bad news, and even some of the good news has a negative undertone. I want our music to be a positive thing for everyone. I want our music to make you feel good about who you are and make you feel like your future can be positive. We don’t want any negative undertone to what we sing and what we say. I know everyone does not believe what we believe, but we want them to believe the way that we believe. We believe emphatically and we believe positively, and that is the effect we want to have on everyone who listens to our music.
If you could go outside the USA to write and produce music what country would you choose and why?
I would go to Freeport, Bahamas. That is my favorite place in the world. It is extremely peaceful. I believe I could go there and write multiple albums. I love it there.
What do you like the most about being musician?
Being able to live off of creativity. To be able to have your passion be your career is an extremely awesome thing. You never get tired of doing what you love. When you are doing what you love, you never feel like you are working. You always feel like you are getting paid to do your hobby – and that is what I like most about being a musician.
What producers are you looking forward to working with soon?
I have already talked to two producers who I am going to work with on my next record: Anthony Brown and Vaughan Phoenix. They are two producers in Gospel music who I really respect. They are going to help produce my first studio record. I have never done a studio record so I wanted to work with guys who are used to doing it, and it is going to be great.
Name three musicians you would like to record with that are hit makers.
• Donald Lawrence – He is a great friend of mine and an awesome musician. He has such a great business mind; he has an overall picture of what Gospel music is doing. I love what he does and would love to see his approach to what I do.
• Justin Savage – He is a keyboard player that I have a lot of respect for.
• Aaron Lindsey – I think that would be an awesome combination, I have a huge respect for his work.
If you could make a duet with someone who would it be and why?
My dream duet would be with Jazmine Sullivan. I am a huge fan of her voice. I just love what she does. I would also say Israel Houghton because we have never recorded together. I love his style, which is a huge influence on our style. I would love to record with him.
What musical awards have you aspired to receive and it happened?
I have always wanted to receive a Stellar Award, and we just did last year. We are also nominated in a couple of categories this year.
What musical achievements have you yet to obtain?
I am looking forward to getting a Grammy nomination one day. That would be incredible. It would be awesome to actually win a Grammy, but just getting a nomination and having that level of recognition from the industry would be great.
Finish the sentence:
When I hit the stage I feel…empowered.
When the crowd is responding to my music I know…we’ve done our job with making reachable music.
I appreciate my fans because… there is so much music out there, so for them to love our music is an honor.
Music is my calling…because I’m passionate about it.
My method of studying music is…listening to it over and over.
When you find my music I want you to… sing along.
Name your favorite two books.
Reposition Yourself by T.D. Jakes and Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
