Source: Anna Webber / Getty
NAME: Melvin Crispell III
OCCUPATION / AFFILIATION: Gospel Singer, Winner of BET’s Sunday Best (Season 9)
LOCATION: Charlotte, North Carolina (by way of New York)
HOW ARE YOU USING YOUR GIFT TO INSPIRE THE COMMUNITY? “I use my gifts to elevate my community, number one, by representing my home team. I’m from New York, but I’m a native of Charlotte now and [I’m] just really representing Charlotte in wherever I go. Showing the love and hospitality, even through music, is a very possible thing. Another way I’m even giving back is by putting on more musical events and concerts just to really bring people together so they can see what I’m doing when it concerns faith, music and community.”
THE CREATOR:
Can we just give a quick shoutout to everyone that was involved in BET’s Sunday Best? The fan-favorite singing competition series, which ran for 10 seasons between October 2007 and August 2020 with an infamous four-year hiatus from 2015 to 2019, gave us a decades-worth of gospel stars that went on to have stellar success in their own right. One of our favorites throughout the entire series though is still Season 9 winner Melvin Crispell III, who has been on a meteoric rise since the September 2020 release of his debut album, I’ve Got a Testimony. Every good thing coming his way is deserved, especially given his triumphant story of overcoming severe loss.
At age 16, Melvin suddenly lost his father, famed gospel songwriter Melvin Crispell Jr. Then at 18, he would also end up losing his mother, fellow gospel singer Tunesha Crispell, following her documented battle with cancer. Many of you may remember her beautiful voice singing lead for James Hall and Worship & Praise in addition to releasing her beloved 2004 solo album, Just As I Am. This could’ve easily been the double whammy that lead him down a path of depression, anger and excuses for why life isn’t fair — honestly, no one would blame him either. Instead though, he turned the heartbreak and pain into a driving force to win in life that is without question making his late parents very proud. Last summer’s release of his follow-up LP, No Failure, proved that sentiment all over again. Operating off the notion that “there is ‘no failure’ in God,” the album is an ode to not only Melvin’s journey of overcoming adversity but also anyone listening who can relate to the messages on songs like “The Love He Shows,” “Here,” and the album’s title track “No Failure (Hymn).” With multiple nominations already under his belt at the GRAMMYs, Stellar Awards and Dove Awards, it looks like the masses are agreeing that Melvin Crispell III has something important and prominent to say.
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Creator’s Corner: Melvin Crispell III Turns Heartbreak Into A Driving Force To Win In Life was originally published on elev8.com
