JJ Hairston Biography, Songs, Marriage, and Achievements

JJ Hairston Biography, Songs, Marriage, and Achievements

Gospel singer James “JJ Hairston is the leader, chief songwriter, and director of the Youthful Praise choir, known for its exuberant, urban-tinged gospel and praise & worship songs. Formed in 2001 out of Turner’s Faith Temple in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the choir was originally known as Teens of TFT, and released a debut album, Awesome God, that same year on Evidence Gospel. A second album, Thank You for the Change, which featured a guest spot by Coko, arrived in 2004, followed by Live! The Praise…The Worship, a year later in 2005.

Youthful Praise originated at the Bridgeport, Connecticut church Turner’s Faith Temple. The outfit was originally known as Teens of TFT. They released their first album Awesome God in 2001 with Evidence Gospel, a division of online news magazine GospelFlava.com. The title track became popular with church choirs and helped make their debut album a success. The album earned Youthful Praise two Stellar Award nomination in 2003 for Choir of the Year and Contemporary Choir of the Year. The group was also nominated for a Soul Train Award for Gospel Artist of the Year, and the GMWA Excellence Award for Choir of the Year.

The group’s sophomore release Thank You for the Change raised their profile even more by featuring a guest vocal performance from Coko, former lead singer of SWV on “Up There” and containing the highlight song “Deliver”. YP matured their sound even more on the next release Live! The Praise… The Worship which delivered the hit singles like “Incredible God, Incredible Praise” and “You Are So Awesome”.

Youthful Praise continued expanding their borders with television appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Stellar Awards, and Bobby Jones Gospel. The ensemble was soon invited to perform with Joan Osborne, Shirley Caesar, and Destiny’s Child.

Exalted, an exciting collection recorded live in Baltimore, Maryland was released on both CD/DVD in 2007. The following year saw a recap of their success with the compilation The Best of Youthful Praise. Their most recent album Resting On His Promise was released September 1, 2009 and features guest appearances from Pastor Shirley Caesar, Myron Butler, worship leader Steven Hurd, and Dorinda Clark Cole.

Founding member of Youthful Praise, Pastor Shawn M. Brown died unexpectedly on January 31, 2010. One of the original co-directors of YP, Brown was the songwriter behind the group’s first hit “Awesome God”. More recently, he formed the group Shawn Brown & Key of David and released an independent album in 2008.

YP’s album After This was released in March 2012.[3]

ExaltedTelevision appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Bobby Jones Gospel, and performances with Joan Osborne, Shirley Caesar, and Destiny’s Child increased the choir’s visibility and fan base, as did its exuberant, energetic live shows and urban affinities. Exalted, recorded live in Baltimore, Maryland, was released on both CD and DVD in 2007. It would be five years before their next album, After This, arrived in the spring of 2012, with I See Victory following two years later in 2014. In 2016, the single “You Deserve It” heralded the release of the next album by Hairston and Youthful Praise. The album, also called You Deserve It, appeared in March 2017 with featured appearances by Maranda Willis, Travis Greene, and Bishop Cortez Vaughn. Hairston returned in 2019 with the full-length Miracle Worker.

JJ Hairston Songs

Awesome God (2001)
Thank You for the Change (2004)
Live! The Praise… The Worship (2005)
Exalted (2007)
The Best of Youthful Praise (2008)
Resting on His Promise (2009)
After This (2012)
I See Victory (2014)
You Deserve It (2017)

He Also collaborated with COZA Official Choir “THE GRATITUDE” in EVERYTHING FOR ME. Also with Timgodfrey ONAGA ” IS IT WORKING”.

He also teamed up to remix Mercy Chinwo Hit single titled “EXCESS LOVE. THEY Performed the Song live At COZA Alongside THE GRATITUDE.