print: Micah Stampley : Interview (October, 2006) » BlackGospel.com, Your Music Ministry Source!

Interview with MIcah Stampley
October 2006, BlackGospel.com by Christopher Heron

The return of Micah Stampley to the centerstage will certainly please true listeners of Gospel music everywhere. His gifted voice and divine anointing immediately left an imprint on millions within an earshot, with his arrival on the music scene. Just a few short years ago, Minister Sta mpley first gained prominence as the winner and poster child for the 1^st ever Stellar Gospel Music Awards Talent Search. His victory eventually led to a label signing and debut release called the Songbook Of Micah (EMI Gospel). His profile continued to grow, particularly with Micah’s appointment as the anointed psalmist for Bishop T.D. Jakes.

Micah’s speedy elevation to national attention is nothing short of special. Considering his humble family background and his patient disposition which allowed him to hone his talent in silence for years without public adoration, Micah’s gift has suddenly found admiration and appeal in every corner of the globe. It’s a new season for this worshipper who has found favor and a faithful following like few other artists today.

BlackGospel.com recently shared a fascinating conversation with Micah Stampley about his new album, his startling departure from his former label, the advantages of a good wife and his special friendship with Aretha Franklin. A fresh wind is about to blow in with Minister Stampley’s rightful place at the podium, so get ready for the second sound from this anointed instrument from God.

Christopher Heron: Let’s start by discussing your new album. What’s the biggest difference between your debut album, “Songbook of Micah” and your new sophomore project “A Fresh Wind?”

Micah Stampley: I’m in a different place spiritually for one. I’ve grown spiritually and I’ve grown musically. This particular album is more about worship. I’m excited about this album as well because it’s on my very own label. This album is a crossover release with regards to the single “Never Let You Go”. It touches all boundaries, all cultures and all genres. It wasn’t intentional; it just happened that way. That’s another difference with this particular record. And the reception is tremendous right now.

CH: I can imagine.

MS: I was able to shoot a music video for the single. It’s my first music video and there is a lot going on right now.

CH: You had spoken about the growth that you experienced. How specifically have you evolved in the past two years, both as a songwriter and a psalmist?

MS: Let me start with the writing aspect. I find myself not having to go through what most writers call a ‘writer’s block’. I sit down, I write freely, and it just flows out of me. Sometimes I would be inspired by the music in church and at that particular moment, as I’m helping the pastor do an altar call, a song would flow out of me. It would turn into a brand new song.

My spiritual growth has caused my writing to go to another place and it’s become a lot easier. The songs contain a strong hook and it’s just good music. My music is an in-between and by that, I mean it’s not a ‘black’ sound. It is not a ‘white’ sound. It’s a universal sound. I think it is important for artists to be able to have music where everybody can eat from your table.

CH: This new project, “A Fresh Wind” is, as you mentioned, an independent release. This will come as a surprise to industry followers in particular since you were on the roster for Dexterity / EMI Gospel, and under the watchful eye and tutelage of your spiritual mentor Bishop T.D. Jakes. What lead to you to decide to release this project independently?

MS: Well, I watched (Bishop Jakes). He and I have had several conversations. I even learned a technique from him. If you ever watched him preach, he starts at a low point, then he will begin teaching so that by the time he gets to the end of his message, people are laid out all over the floor. I began to implement that strategy in my singing. For instance if you listen to the single, “Never Let You Go”, I start real low key and by the end of the song, I’m high in the rafters. I learned that from watching him preach. He is also such a tremendous businessperson. He allowed me to take this very pivotal point in my life and shift it to entrepreneurship. It was just a great blessing to be able to experience having a relationship with this man; and not only to have him mentor me and to teach me how to do what he does.

CH: At this stage in your ministry, you could have signed with almost any label based on the buzz you created from, “The Songbook of Micah”. Is that something you would ever consider doing again in the future? And, what counsel would you offer to perhaps other aspiring very talented psalmists and Levites looking for that national attention?

MS: I have spent a lot of money on demos and I got to meet EMI Dexterity; however, both of those things did not help me get to this point. But there are artists who have demos and get deals. What I would say to them is, ‘Perfect your craft, continue doing what you’re doing and let God direct and lead your life. Stop praying for opportunities and pray that you are ready to proceed so that when the opportunity comes, your character will be able to sustain the place where your gift has taken you.’

CH: You are a little wiser, a little stronger, a little savvier and a little more confident at this stage in your ministry and professional career. What are some of the valuable lessons you’ve learned along this journey from other artists and from your own personal experience about ministry and artistry?

MS: I look at the good and the bad that I learned from other people’s mistakes. I’m not really connected to other people on a personal level in the industry, but I have my ear to the ground in this industry and I’m always watching. I am very observant. Some of the things I see could be better. I learn what not to do and what has to be done. That way, I can direct my own way through the whole process of my career. And I’m not sure if I will go back to being signed with a major label because distribution will be a factor. But I love the ability to have all the creative control when working on the album and not being boxed in.

CH: Micah, I was one of the first people to hear you receive open praise from contemporaries like Aretha Franklin and Steve Harvey. What was your reaction to such commendation? How did that admiration for your gift finally lead to that collaboration with Aretha Franklin?

MS: Steve Harvey introduced himself to me at the BET Gospel Celebration and then shortly after I sang, he pulled me backstage and stated, ‘Man, you were really doing your thing. You’re awesome!’ He was just going on and I’m looking at this man like, ‘Oh my God, this is Steve Harvey!’ It is such a blessing to know you reach the hearts of people no matter what their line of work, whether they are actors or actresses, the superstars, the legends of the industry, not only in the gospel industry.

Aretha Franklin also heard me at the BET Celebration of Gospel. She was watching it. After she heard me, she went on a hunt to find me. When she finally did find me, I was in the park playing with my kids and my wife. She called me on my cell phone. At first, I thought it was a prank call, but when she started to talk more, I was like, ‘Oh my God! This is really Aretha Franklin!’ The one person who is possibly as popular as Michael Jackson is the Queen of Soul. It was a tremendous honor. We have grown to enjoy each other’s company and become friends. She’s such a wonderful person and a sweet lady. I now have the opportunity to see her every year at a gala in Detroit Michigan. She invited me a few months ago to do a tribute with her at the United Negro College Fund. Afterwards, she called me again and we had the opportunity to talk. I heard about the plug she did on the Martha Stewart show. That was a big deal. I received so many phone calls and e-mails about that. She has just been a tremendous blessing to me.

CH: Your popularity can be partially accredited to that one song, “The War Cry”. When you first wrote it, recorded it, and released it, did you have any idea that that song would have such an impact on listeners?

MS: No. I am in awe that my ministry has been received by millions of people. I was in Kenya, with Bishop Jakes, and I was singing on stage in front of a sea of hundreds of thousands of people; and they were singing with me. It blew me away. I was like, ‘Oh, wow! These people know who I am, and they know my material and my music.’ It was just so refreshing to see. I never thought that this could happen.

CH: From the start, your wife has been your business partner, your spiritual partner, and your soul mate. How important is it to find a fine woman, not only to be a great mother and lovely wife but also to be a great business and professional companion?

MS: I am glad that you asked that question. Together our labor in this ministry has become a ministry tool. You know as well as I do that people with influence and fame can sometimes get caught up, whether it is Gospel or secular or athletes. They get caught up in relationships outside of your marriage and it can destroy your home and the lives of people who are connected to you. We started to experience roadblocks when I brought her on the road with me. Some people didn’t want her to accompany me and said, ‘We don’t fly spouses in.’ So, I made her my manager. She was a registered nurse and didn’t have a clue about the music industry. But there was one scripture that the Lord began to reveal to me…the scripture that is so familiar to all of us, “He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing.” We tend to leave out the end of the verse which says, “…And obtains favor with the Lord.” The whole thing reads: “He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing and obtains favor with the Lord.” God spoke to me, He said, ‘You married your favor.’ Don’t ever leave your favor at home because you allow the enemy to have access. So my wife being with me has become a ministry tool. I am her covering and she is my protection. Women and men flaunt themselves at me all the time; she protects me.

CH: Finally, what is your hope and prayer for those who listen to, A Fresh Wind? What is your prayerful desire for your music ministry at this particular time in your life?

MS: This is not just another recording. This is a movement; a movement of the Holy Spirit. It is also an experience with God. That is the only way I can express it to you. If you really want to experience God in a whole new way, I believe that through this album you will experience the relationship that I have with Him. There were moments on this CD where we were just crying. We were in the studio and the background singers were laid out all over the floor. We couldn’t get through a song with the worship going to a whole other place. That was a blessing for us in the process of recording this album. I want people to hear that and I want people to experience that.

For more information on Micah Stampley, visit his official website at www.micahstampley.com. For booking, seminars, special appearances and well-wishes, contact Paula Bradshaw-Dofat at paula@jubileeagency.com.