As Yolanda Adams sang her hit “Open My Heart,” the crowd at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx shouted in approval.
The powerful voice of the gospel singer is unmistakable, especially for gospel music fans. But for her, it’s more than just singing.
“It’s a responsibility to give the people what they need at the time that they need it,” Adams said.
Adams released her first album in 1987, and believes her music is a message for people to stay hopeful.
“It’s always been about empowerment. It’s always been about the strength and the power that God gave you on the inside of you. All you have to do is hone in on that and be the best that you could be,” she said.
Her style of gospel blends a feel of R&B and jazz into it. But she has not moved forward with a secular album, deciding to stay with inspirational songs.
She released her “Sunny Days” album in 2024, which has the song “Church Doors.” That song also has a dance remix to it.
Adams explained the goal is to uplift people and spread a positive word.
“If we go back to the Bible, not every chapter talked about God, not every chapter talked about Jesus, but you knew what the message was,” she said. “You don’t have to Jesus, Jesus, Jesus to get your message across.”
The Houston native is a multimedia entertainer. Along with touring the world, she hosted a morning radio show and is also an actress.
“I know you guys loved ‘Kingdom Business.’ Thank you all so much for that. But we have a couple of things in the works. ‘Kingdom Business’ is going to shoot a movie for our next project, and then hopefully after that we’ll get into seasons three, four, five all the way up to a hundred.” Adams laughed and smiled as she said that.
“Kingdom Business” was first released on BET+ in 2022. It was executive produced by gospel superstar Kirk Franklin and author DeVon Franklin, who are not related.
Adams wrapped up her set at the Bronx part of McDonald’s Gospelfest 2025 with her hit song “The Battle is the Lords.”
NY1 also spoke with Grammy-winning artists and for Black Music Month.
→ Continue reading at Spectrum News NY1
