Joshua Rogers, Christian Singer, Talks Faith-Driven Career
Joshua Rogers, BET's "Sunday's Best" winner, opened up about his newfound stardom as well as his enduring relationship with God.
Singing since the age of five in a church choir, Rogers described how he followed God's path and found success.
Living by the motto "practice makes perfect," the 18-year-old told The Christian Post that while his friends were playing sports in high school, he was at home singing.
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"Music has been there since the beginning," said the singer. "I've been singing forever, it became a habit, that was my hobby. It is my passion, I love it."
On winning season five of BET's "Sunday Best" singing competition last year, Rogers said he was simply "mesmerized."
"I honestly could not believe that I had actually come this far," explained North Carolina native. "I'd always been the type of person that expects the worst, and 'Sunday Best' was something I dreamed of, so to have the opportunity was enough for me."
"I realized afterward, that when God has something for you, no matter what others say of what you yourself thinks, it's yours," he added.
Acknowledging that his faith has been the driving force behind his success, Rogers stated that his relationship with God takes precedence over all that he does.
"Faith has to be the foundation of who you are, I'm constantly praying, I believe that the stronger my relationship with God is, the more He will bless me and the higher I will go and the farther I will go in my career," the singer explained to CP.
When it comes to misconceptions about being a Christian artist in the music industry, Rogers revealed that artists within other genres actually admire him even more for having a gospel background.
"Honestly I can't think of any [misconceptions] off the top of my head," said Rogers. "I've actually talked to a couple of R &B artists, and they look up to gospel artists more than they look up to artists in their own field. I think it's more because of the realness and the passion that comes out of gospel music."
"If anything, people look for that realness in their music," added the singer, citing auto tune and emotion in music. "And who you are and how you carry yourself."
Rogers listed some of his favorite fellow gospel music artists who incorporate both their "relationship with God and amazing vocal talent" into their music. Among his favorites were Kim Burrell, The Clarke Sisters, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Winans, Shirley Caesar, and others.
"The thing about them is, they take whatever it is they're going through and they turn it into a testimony, they turn it into an uplifting inspiration, and I think that has been they key that has kept them in the gospel music industry for so long," Rogers said.
Rogers' debut album "Well Done" was released last December and reached number one on Billboard's Gospel charts. The singer revealed that fans can expect his sophomore album in December, but in the meantime, he will appear on both radio and television with "good stuff coming."
