Pastor Mike Jr. is on the top of the world.
Pastor Mike took home eight Stellar Awards at this year’s 38th annual ceremony, including Album of the Year for Winning. He is also the first gospel artist to earn the top Stellar Award, Artist of the Year, three years running. Pastor Mike is now promoting his latest album Impossible, which he calls the “mantra of hope.”
How does it feel to be in your purpose and know you’re doing the right thing?
It’s exciting. I tell everybody, a leader with no followers, is just taking a walk. I shared on Instagram not too long ago, when you win from a city like Birmingham, I’m situated and acculturated between two mountains. On one side I have Nashville and on the other side, I have Atlanta. If you’re a creative, where you’re from sometimes matters. They say if you’re going to make it, you have to go to Atlanta or Nashville, and to do it from Birmingham, with people from Birmingham, with my guys who I met years ago when people weren’t even giving me studio time, that means the world to me, and I think that’s what God’s looking for in this season, somebody and a group of people who can win but always deflect that glory back to Him and make sure everybody around you is growing at the same time.
Tell us about your latest album, Impossible, and why you chose that title.
Impossible is my life story. I tell everybody it’s not just a song, it’s my story. I come from Birmingham, Alabama. We don’t have all of those studios and all the major producers. When was the last time you heard somebody say, “I gotta go down to Birmingham to find the next great?” We’re known for civil rights, we’re known for racial tensions. We’re known for the four girls being bombed. Birmingham, Alabama was the place of reconciliation and change, and the message I wanted to send was when I’m putting an album together, it’s not just a collection of songs, it’s my message for the next 12, 18, and 24 months. Here’s the message I want to tell the world, and that message is God is still doing the impossible. I emptied my savings to do what I’m doing right now, and God blessed it. I heard God tell me in 2009, “Love God, love your family, love your city, and in 10 years, the world will come looking for you.” I sent “Big” and “I Got It” to every record label I could think of and people were telling me it wasn’t special, I didn’t have it, and they don’t see it, so for me, impossible is a mantra of hope, and I just want to inspire the world.
