JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise Score Billboard #1 With ‘You Deserve It’ Album
You Deserve It, the sixth album from JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, has been highly anticipated for months. The excitement created by the album’s self-titled first single has translated into a monumental debut for the project as JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise lands at #1 on three sales charts, and Top-5 on three additional major music charts. Additionally, the celebrated ensemble lands impressively at #33 on the Billboard Top-200 Albums chart.
This exciting debut is especially significant for Hairston, who released the project March 10th on his own Jamestown Music label. “We wanted to establish a system for how we are going to do things at Jamestown Music. I wanted to test everything out with my own project first,” says Hairston. “This response is overwhelming, and I am grateful.”
The album You Deserve It was recorded live at City of Praise Ministries in Hyattsville, MD (where Hairston is the director of music and arts). The 18-track project boasts new recordings of Youthful Praise’s biggest hits alongside new songs with guest artists including Grammy® Award nominated singer, songwriter and producer, Travis Greene.
Hairston calls the single “You Deserve It” a simple song with a huge message. “It is such a pure song that gives the accolades and applause to the One who truly deserves it – God,” says the singer and choir director. “It has captured the hearts of worshippers across nationalities and across demographics because of its simplicity and its pure, vertical focus.”
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise is nominated for two The Stellar Gospel Music Awards: Song of the Year and Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year (“You Deserve It”). The ensemble will perform on the telecast, which tapes March 25th in Las Vegas. Additionally, Hairston will co-headline the 20-city Bloody Win Tour that kicks off April 20thin Orlando, Florida.
