Jordin Sparks shot to fame as a 17-year-old after winning American Idol. With a successful music career already well under way, iBelieve caught up with Christendom’s newest superstar to find out about her transition from stage to screen
From an early age, it was obvious that there was something a little bit special about Jordin Sparks, and by the time she was 17 people were queuing up to recognise that fact. In a relatively rare moment of good judgment, she was voted to victory by viewers of American Idol’s sixth series, and has gone on to use that initial success as a platform for further prominence, including star turns on the silver screen.
The singer turned actress starred alongside the late Whitney Houston in the remake of Sparkle, but this is one starlet who hasn’t been swept away in the torrent of fame.
“I grew up in a Christian family,” Jordin says. “Family is what matters – and being with the people you love. I have to attribute my groundedness to my Mom, my Dad, and my Nana. The thing is, anybody can fall – not just celebrities. Sometimes I feel like there are people just waiting for me to fall. The funny thing is, I can’t give them anything. I have just never been a partier, even in school. Whether it was sports or drama, I was always doing something. I didn’t date; I had my head in a book. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents – I still go over there and play Yahtzee.”
She might have spent more time in her grandparents’ lounge than messing around behind the bike shed as a youngster, but Jordin has an old head on those young shoulders
“People have told me that my whole life,” she laughs.
“I’m a responsible soul. But anyone who has the chance to spend time with me can see I’m still 22 years old. I love talking about clothes and guys and shoes and make-up. Plus, I’m obsessed with anything Hello Kitty!”
An endearing mix of bright, breezy and sensible, Jordin has made waves because of her outspoken approach to faith. When it comes to her voice, though, there are some seriously old-school influences.
“I’d grown up listening to Motown music because my grandparents introduced me to it when I was really young,” Jordin remembers. “I listened to Diana Ross and The Temptations and all of them. I loved singing the music that was like that.”
For all the influences you might be able to recognise in her vocal performance, though, there’s definitely a serious gift there, manifested in that glorious tone.
“I definitely recognise that I have a God-given talent,” Jordin agrees. “I have a sense of inner peace. I know God gave me this wonderful voice and I feel that what he needs me to do is share it with others.”
And that’s exactly what she’s been doing left, right and centre ever since she won American Idol.
“My faith has been a humungous part of how I have looked at my career,” Jordin explains. “I started out singing in church very young and it took off from there. With my purity stance, I’m careful about what I wear and the lyrics in my songs.
“The music business is a secular world and there are always people quick to point to you as a hypocrite when you mess up with something. I know that God has blessed me to be where I am and all he has placed before me is amazing.”
What’s fantastic for Jordin is that the gift God has given her has dovetailed perfectly with her childhood dream – both singing and acting. “Well, ever since I was little, I knew that singing was what I wanted to do, and then I got into, you know, doing drama club and community theatre,” she relates. “In school, when we lived in New Jersey, we went to Broadway a lot, so I saw a lot of plays, and I just loved being able to see people play a different character and be able to be themselves at the end of the night. So, I’ve always wanted to do it. And this cast, it’s just been incredible. I’m like, ‘This is my life?!’”
As Jordin was taking her cues from the late great singer and actress, Whitney Houston, she was also creating an inspiring character.
“In the movie Sparkle goes through a lot of adversity,” Jordin affirms. “She deals with insecurities with herself, and you’re trying to overcome that, and then also, you know, being around her family and seeing them go through things, as well, and just everybody’s changing.
“And everybody goes through stuff like that whether it’s an entertainer or anyone else. Everybody goes through something and has a personal struggle, and I think a lot of people are going to be able to relate to it. I think they’re going to be able to relate to Sparkle, because she has that slight insecurity about herself. And you see her grow, and you see her blossom, and then I’m hoping that when people walk away, they say, ‘OK, you know what? If she can overcome stuff, and, if she can, you know, find it in herself to do something after all that just happened, I can do it, too, and I’ll be OK, too.’”