Mandisa
A graduate of Nashville’s Fisk University, she performed as part of the legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers, but gained national acclaim when she placed ninth on the fifth season of American Idol. She signed a deal with Sparrow Records and released her debut, True Beauty in 2007, which earned her the first of three GRAMMY® nominations. She followed with a stellar sophomore effort, 2009’s Freedom. The Hollywood Reporter listed Mandisa in the Top 5 of Idol finalists with the most Billboard No. 1s.
In 2011, Mandisa released What If We Were Real, an engaging collection of tunes that included the effervescent “Good Morning,” which she performed with tobyMac on Good Morning America. This third studio album saw a breakthrough in Mandisa’s career,
leading her to unprecedented record sales, radio spins and tour audiences. What If We Were Real also produced the hit single “Stronger,” which topped the charts for five weeks and was the song Mandisa sang on Good Morning America the day Robin
Roberts returned to the show after being on medical leave. The title of her fourth album offers an especially apt description of the artist—Overcomer. However, Mandisa sees it as more than her song, but an anthem for all and she’s happy to launch the battle cry. “Whether or not you feel it, it’s a fact. We are overcomers.” Being a believer doesn’t exempt anyone from hardship, but trusting God does help in navigating life’s tragedies and challenges. Just ask Mandisa. After the prayers of a multitude didn’t stop her dearest friend from succumbing to cancer, Mandisa withdrew, wrestled with God and fell into a deep depression. Now Mandisa is back and she has more to share than ever. “To be honest, that’s not how I thought things were going to happen,” she says of her friend Kisha’s passing. “I was disappointed with God. I was mad because as I prayed for her, I believed that God was going to heal her. I’m not the kind of person who shakes my fist at the Lord and yells and screams. I just shut down and started turning to food again for comfort. For years, I was turning to Him for comfort, but I didn’t trust Him anymore, so I isolated and went back to my old friend, food. My loved ones were reaching out and I would ignore their phone calls and text messages. It got to the point where I had friends who, out of love and concern, came to the house banging on the door and I just put in some ear plugs and pretended I wasn’t there. I stopped going to church. I didn’t open my Bible. The enemy had me exactly where he wanted me.” In the middle of her pain, God answered a prayer she had been fervently praying for years when her older brother, John (the subject of her song “Dear John”) accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. “That was God reminding me that he did indeed hear my prayers,” she says. “He was still there, and even though things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to with Kisha, sometimes God says ‘no’ and I’m just learning to be okay with that. I wish that I had all the answers, but at this point I say, ‘Okay God, I’m either gonna trust you with all of my heart, or I’m not. There’s no middle ground here. I’m going to let the value and the weight of the character of God outweigh my need to know or understand.” Mandisa is back with a renewed passion for her music and a willingness to be totally transparent and vulnerable about her journey. She’s reconnecting with people, losing the weight she regained during her depression, and writing and recording such potent songs as “Prove Me Wrong” where she lays bare her soul and voices her questions to the Lord. “I’m Still Here” is a comeback song that proclaims that God is not done with her yet. “The Lord started lifting me out of this pit as I started this album,” she says. “My hope is that people will be on this journey with me. When I began, I was in a really dark place, but where I am today is so much better and so much lighter. He pulled me out of the dark! I’m hoping that the same way that God is restoring me, that He will restore those who listen to it.”
These new songs and her testimony of restoration can be found on her new album “Out of the Dark”. Available now!
“If my music is just entertaining and not inspiring, giving hope and speaking life, then that’s just not good enough for me. I want it to do all of those things.” – Mandisa
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