Israel Houghton

Israel Houghton (www.wreckedfortheordinary.com)

He is a world-renown gospel artist. His music can be heard in churches everywhere. His work has paid off, with numerous awards for his albums. But he stayed focused and inspired a lot of people, including me! Hello, my name is Jane. I am a 14 year old student from Dian Harapan Junior High school in Tangerang, Indonesia. I love art, books, school, and best of all, music. So when my teacher told us that our new project is to make an essay about our heroes, I knew exactly who my hero is. He is the one and only, Israel Houghton.

Israel Houghton was born in San Diego, 1971. His grandparents abandoned his mother and his father also left him. Not long after Israel was born, his mother married Henry Houghton, and they moved to New Mexico. From there on, Israel learned to play music in the church [his parents were pastors in the church Santa Fe], and figured out that he has the gift of music. So from there he went on to pursue his career.

Israel and New Breed (www.greatseats.com)

Israel had his first professional records for Warner Bros Studios. But on 1995, his wife Meleasa Houghton founded the New Breed Ministries. This organization consists of talented singers and musician came together to serve churches everywhere. From there, they made a collaboration called Israel and New Breed. Israel and New Breed brings gospel music like no other, and with their unique style and vibe, they impressed the music industry and became a big success.

The results are 5 albums, 2 gold sellers, Grammy® for Best Traditional Gospel Album, four Dove awards, a Soul Train Award, four Grammy® nomination in 2007, two Stellar Awards, concerts all around the world, network television appearances and so much more! Their project skyrockets with their captivating music and brilliant talents like Aaron Lindsey and Daniel Johnson in their list. Israel and New Breed bring “flavor” back into traditional gospel.

There are plenty of reasons why I picked Israel Houghton as my hero. But the fact that he is a famous, well known gospel artist, doesn’t count at all. You don’t admire people from their fame and fortune, but by the way they lead their life to success. Well, first of all, is simply because I like his music style. I know a girl as young as I am usually is fond to hip-hop, rock, punk, and alternative, RnB or something like that. Not that I dislike that music, but I guess I am a little different. You see, I am a keyboardist in my church, and I admire his music style. It just has that ‘groove’ [if you know what I mean], it is energetic and funky, and it makes music so much livelier. It may not be a genre familiar to kids at my age, but I like it a lot, and I think Israel and New Breed bring it better than any other bands/groups out there.

Secondly, is because the music mixes different genres in it so it is always fresh and new. The collaborations are also amazing. In their last album, there’s this song “With Long Life”, which features T-Bone! The song has that reggae style which is popular these days. Their style of music is ever changing! They just keep coming back with new songs, materials, and style. Their genre mixes African, South America and even Eastern styles. It has Gospel, Hip-hop, R n B, Pop, Rock, Traditional Hymn, Jazz, Ballad, Reggae, and basically everything! Isn’t that great?

Last, and my most important reason, is that his music teaches us about the value of life, the purpose of life, and how important it is for us to say grace that we are still given a chance to live. Their music even helped in further racial reconciliation! Nowadays, all the music you hear on the music stations are talking about life pleasures, money, desperation, one-night-stands, partying, hatred, and an awful lot of negative stuff that influence kids at my age. But if you ask why kids at my age listen to those kinds of music, then the answer will be “It’s because the music is cool!” Okay, I admit that it is cool, but there is no logical reason for listening to music that brings bad influence! Music doesn’t have to be bad to be cool! Israel Houghton show that praises and worship can also be packed into something funky, fresh, and just as cool as any other music out there.

Well, that’s all from me! I hope my story inspires you guys in any kind of way. Israel Houghton has been my hero for a long time now, and he has given me a lot of inspiration and good influence. I heard that he is going to have a concert right here in Indonesia! Can’t wait for that! I hope you guys also have someone you look up to! Find someone who can inspire you in a good way, and make you a better person. Whether he/she is a famous superstar, or even your parents! Thank you all for reading my story. See you! Over and out!