The Stellar Award nominated urban inspirational music ensemble J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise hits iTunes Tuesday, May 6th with its hot new Top 30 radio smash “It Pushed Me.” The upbeat, motivational track anchors the group’s forthcoming seventh CD “I See Victory” (Evidence/Light Records) that releases across the globe on August 5th.
Youthful Praise’s charismatic leader J.J. Hairston wrote “It Pushed Me” after reading the Biblical story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. However, in spite of his enslavement, Joseph rose to become the second most powerful man in Egypt and because of his position was able to help those same brothers when they were in a desperate situation. “He had the vision in the beginning of where he would be in the end but didn’t really see the things that had to happen in the middle,” Hairston explains. “Many of us go through situations where we have a vision of what we want and a vision of where we want to be but we don’t give credit to those things that helped us become that thing and sometimes those aren’t good things that helped shape us. All that Hell Joseph went through put him in a place of power where he could help his family so that ordeal pushed him and we all go through things that push us to our next level.”
For over a dozen years, Youthful Praise has been one of the most popular contemporary gospel choirs in the USA. Their hit songs such as “After This,” “Lord of All,” “Resting on His Promise” and “Incredible God, Incredible Praise” have served as the soundtrack to the lives of scores of Millennial-age churchgoers. The group has appeared on national television programs such as “Good Morning America,” BET’s “Celebration of Gospel,” “Conan O’Brien,” BET’s “Lift Every Voice,” “Lady Gaga & The Muppets Holliday Spectacular” and BET’s “Sunday Best.”
