Jordin Sparks has been going, going, going since the age of 17 when she won the sixth season of American Idol. “I did Idol, and then I was off to the races, working, working — so it’s been pretty crazy, I’ve been on the road most of my life,” she explained to HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview. Between 2015 and 2020, Jordin didn’t release any solo new music, but in the last three years, she’s dabbled in some new tunes by way of singles and admitted the moment of pause during the pandemic allowed her to “fall in love with music again.”
“The break was something that really helped me reconnect with it. Before, I was singing because I loved it and that’s all I wanted to do, just sing and tell tell stories through songs and be able to touch people through my music. Winning Idol was absolutely incredible because it got me to the point where I could do that and I could release music and people could hear it and enjoy it,” the ‘No Air’ singer explained. “Then, you know, time goes on and you get really, really busy and then it was like, okay, this is really great, a lot of work which is fine, I’m so happy that I’m able to do something I can use my passion that can also be my career, which I’m grateful for, but sometimes that kind of takes the fun out of it…the magic out of there.”
Jordin, who is mom to four-year-old Dana Isaiah Thomas Jr. (DJ), admitted that she had “never experienced a home life,” after moving around a lot as a child and then jetting off to Hollywood at 17. “When lock down happened, I had time to actually just sit and think and experience time with my family and settle into what a home life could be, which really inspired me and helped me ground myself again.”
“It helped me reconnect with myself, with my family, and also connect with that magic that music is. It was amazing to be able to get back into the booth and just create because I want to, not because there’s only three days a month I can get into the studio or else I’m not getting paid for another six months. I’m just really grateful for that time.”
Following her stint on Dancing With The Stars season 31, Jordin released her upbeat single “Stop This Feeling,” and has since returned with her latest, “STADIUMS.” “I’ve been in the studio since 2020, working and writing non-stop to just create new music and it’s been really nice to be able to have that feeling where I’m connected to it in a way that it was like when I was young,” she gushed.
Jordin spoke to HL in partnership with Robitussin and their collaboration with the All Stars Project, Inc., a national nonprofit that provides free after school development programs that use the power of performance for youth in underserved communities. “It just made total sense for me to be involved — it makes sense to who I am, to where I’ve been in my life. I was the youth doing performing arts and using that as my creative outlet to help me find my own voice,” she recalled. “It’s awesome when you can partner together with an organization that not only does great things, but they believe that there’s bigger things at play here. They believe that there’s the power behind every voice, so when we support the All Stars Project, Inc, we’re all taking steps to make sure that kids have access equitable access to all these development programs that use performance so that their voices can be heard.”
The powerful trio developed a digital content series to shine a light on the importance of these youth programs, which you can watch here!