Under the leadership of directors Shawn Brown and J.J. Hairston, contemporary firehouse choir Youthful Praise gets ready to spark the airwaves and set 2002 ablaize with the national release of their debut Awesome God (see album review) from Evidence Gospel.

J.J. Hairston —half of the dynamic duo — sat down with Gospelflava.com to share some insight on YP.

Co-directors are unusual, how do you and Shawn make it work? Is it simply a question of division of labor, or is it more than just that?

“I think it works for us because it makes us more versatile. What Shawn and I have done is to recognize each other's strengths and encouraged each other to stay focused in that area."

For example, Shawn is definitely a worship leader. Therefore I try to encourage him to lead the people into worship when we go to out to minister. On the other hand, I have been known to have a more contemporary style of music. Therefore, I try to bring in the younger listeners and crowds when we go out."

Even though either one of us has the capability of handling either of the two roles, we prefer to let each other go forth in our strongest areas. It's worked very well for us so far.”

Your songwriting is at once versatile and innovative, and yet you always deliver songs that have an incredible appeal and hook. How long have you been writing and who are your musical influences?

Youthful Praise Movies from Atlanta

Youthful Praise went to Atlanta for the 2002 Stellar Awards. Hear and see them singing on their church tour that weekend. Click on each of the above images to get the film rolling!

“Well I've been writing since I was about 17, so I guess that makes it about 10 years so far. Shawn kind of forced me into writing at first, so I guess he would be my first influence."

"I would say my favorite songwriters are Donald Lawrence, Thomas Whitfield and Rudolph Stansfield. I also admire the songwriting styles of James Hall and Melvin Crispell.”

Many other groups have taken the time to learn your songs, especially "Awesome God." What is your perspective on that, and are there any special challenges that come with being a writer of popular songs?

"Well, I think what Shawn and I have tried to do is to write songs that are both from the scripture (or at least are biblically sound), and also come from the heart. We've also been listening to choirs all of our lives, and we know what we like to hear. Therefore we write what we like to hear in hopes that others will enjoy it as well."

"There is a great amount of pressure behind songwriting. So many people sing and enjoy "Awesome God" that they'll be looking for a song just like it on every project we put out. But that's Shawn's worry, not mine!!”

Tell us some background about Bishop J.C. White and your church, Turner's Faith Temple.

"Well, our pastor is originally from Brooklyn NY. He was the director of the Institutional Radio Choir, and our first lady Gloria White was one of the lead singers. He also had a group back then called the J.C. White Singers. He's written hundreds of songs including "Stretch Out" and "Keys to the Kingdom". He moved to Connecticut about 21 years ago to pastor our church [in Bridgeport], and the rest is history."

Youthful Praise Audio-Digital Postcard

Got Flash? Turn up your computer audio and check out the latest in our series of audio-digital animated Flash cards. Click on the above image to experience Youthful Praise CD. You need Flash 5 software to see the Flash card. If your computer does not have it installed, get the free download by clicking on the adjacent Flash icon.

Introduce us to your band, member by member. What distinguishes each one's playing style?

"Eric Davis is our piano player. He's also our musical director. He creates all of the music and also makes any changes to our old music. He's not very aggressive, but he's extremely creative, and has more talent than he thinks he does.

Nile Parker is our organist, and he's one of the best I've ever heard. He can be very traditional or "churchy", but he also knows how to move with the flow of the Spirit, which is extremely important to us.

Keith Harper is our bass player. He's been playing for us for at least 10 years. He's irreplaceable. Adam Askew is our lead keyboard player. No one else can do what he does for us. He does things with this little keyboard that would amaze you. He's like the Teddy Riley of Gospel.

Nate is our lead guitar player. He just joined us a little while ago, but he's playing like he's been with us from the start. And finally there's Kevin "Chip" Ginyard, our drummer. He plays with such excitement that he brings energy to the whole band."

Tell us about the "journey" of Youthful Praise. How did you go from being a church choir to recording choir??

Interview With Shawn Brown

We were in Atlanta in January (2002) to perform at the Stellar Awards [on the televised taping, backing up Shirley Caesar and Michelle Williams on the song "Steal Away"], and I was telling people that the interesting thing about Youthful Praise is that both...Full Interview

"We started about 13 years ago as the teen choir of our church. We were called the Teens of TFT. We started out singing songs like "I Tried Him and I Know Him" and "Jesus is Real". It wasn't until Shawn and I started writing our own songs that we started dreaming of recording. However, once we did make that decision, we wouldn't let any obstacle stand in our way!"

What has your experience transitioning to the professional arena been like? What have you learned?

"It's blowing our minds! I mean everyone has been so receptive and supportive. It's something when you've been laboring for something for a long time, then it finally happens for you. It's almost like a baby that you've been laboring for, and you finally give birth to. It's a feeling you can't explain, but others who have experienced it know what it feels like."

"However we've learned to remain very humble and prayerful. Anything that has happened for us is by the grace and favor of God. Therefore we don't take any credit, but we give it all to Him.

We've also learned to start paying attention to the business of gospel music. Things such as copyrights, song publishing, and other things, which are usually overlooked, become very important when you're putting a project out."

Which of your songs means the most to you, and why?

"That would be "Garment of Praise". I was going through some serious circumstances at the time, and God gave me that song. There are some songs that I write, that I can say I really thought about, and put together. However there are some songs that are just given to me. “Garment of Praise” was definitely given to me."