Way Up With Angela YeeWUWY INTERVIEW: Yolanda Adams On Her Role In 'Kingdom Business,' 'Sunny Days,' Gospel Artist Of The Year + More
Yolanda Adams On Her Role In 'Kingdom Business,' 'Sunny Days,' Gospel Artist Of The Year + More
What's up. It's way up at Angela.
Ye man, I love when we have the definition of way up here in the building with us, we have Yolanda Adams.
Such a pleasure to have you.
Thank you so much for having me, and congratulations on all your success.
You know I followed you for a long time. Ah well, thank you, this is way up.
Congratulations to you. You have so many things happening at one time right now. And back to the music where you know, putting out a new album that must feel so exciting for you sunny days.
Yes, I love the fact that this is like a how like a six year journey because we started before the pandemic and everything.
Jimmy Jim and Terry Lewis and I we write a lot to each other. I just love my brothers.
And so we started the day after the Grammys in twenty eighteen, and then I got busy.
Started doing a lot of overseas travel.
They got busy working with Babyface, and then of course the pandemic happened, right and that stopped a lot, and then Kingdom business started and we left that and so finally I got a break and it was like, okay, good, let's finish the album, and I'm just so glad that we're here today talking about it.
Oh my goodness. I love the song Sunny Days too, the title track. Yes, it gives you such a great feeling, like just to feel like sunny days ahead. And it's nice because there's so many things happening in the world that sometimes we have to feel some positivity.
And that's the reason we wrote the song, because you know, you look at the climate in any given day, you can find.
The worst news that can just shock your world.
I mean, the school shooting just happened in Georgia and I'm just following on my phone while it's happening, like, I can't believe this.
And a fourteen year old did that.
I remember last year they said that he threatened to, you know, to hurt some people, and they didn't go to the house because Georgia doesn't.
Have a red flag law. Wow, so they couldn't red flag him or they.
Might need that.
Oh yes, yeah, yeah, they definitely.
You know, things like this happened and it's like, and I was talking about this earlier. It was a forty fifth school shooting so far this year, and it's like every time it happens like we need to do something, we need some type of reform, we need new laws. But then it happens again, and then we just do the same thing again. It's in circles. And I hate how politics is more about, like, let me stop this side from doing something that could benefit people, because I don't want them to get credit for it. Absolutely if I feel like it's never about what's going to help the most people, it's more about posturing.
A lot of times, wait.
For a long time. And what I don't like about this type of over zealous posturing is that they do it at the expense of all the people who would benefit from it.
Like you just say it.
I just don't think that if you call yourself a believer, if you call yourself a person who trusts God or believes in you know, the spirit of God, they're just some things you cannot do.
You cannot say, oh.
Yeah, I love God, but then you hate people. Oh I love God, you hate folks, sexuality.
I love God. You're judging, we can't die. It's not the same guy.
And that's interesting because even now, look now we got to talk about Kingdom business.
Where she judges everything exactly.
Look, and that was the evil laughing. Yes, absolutely absolutely.
I wasn't for you getting into character for a role like that because it doesn't feel anything like so connected to who we look at Yolanda Adams as well.
I am so glad that you have what listen, folks all in my d MS. I can't support you anymore because you cussed.
I'm like, it's a role in the script.
Call for one cuss word, go to him, go to Kirk Franklin.
It's the cuss word that's end the Bible.
Okay, So it's not like I said something out of the you know, didn't call nobody a b or anything like that. But I love this role because she's a meaty kind of you know, deeply.
Confused, conflicted person.
And you know, as acting, while you're acting, you are actually not just mimicking the person, you're becoming who they are, so you can authentically project what that character needs to do at that time. Growing up in the church, and I know a lot of your listeners know there are several different kinds of people that you meet that come in and out of the church, and there's she's like a combination of some people that I knew grow growing up in the church, and of course it's fantasy and it's a little drama in there because it has to be great television, it has to be, you know.
But yeah, she's a mess.
And the more we peel the layers from her, we find out what her mother did, what her father did, what everyone around her did to make her such an ice cold person. And we're very, very different because I don't believe that I have the right to crush somebody's dreams or to stop them from living their purpose.
And so yeah, we're really different from them, yes, thank goodness.
But I think people also do look at church as like a judgmental place, and.
It's not.
It's not because if we say we want to be like Jesus, if we say we want to walk like him, he was the least judgmental person. And I think people need to just read and if they read the Life of Jesus, you know, for folks who really don't know the Bible or anything like that, I tell them to go and get a Bible that has the rid where Jesus is speaking, and you'll find the most compassionate words, You'll find the most loving words, you'll find the most empowering words, and you'll find.
The words that make you feel like, man, I can make it right.
Yeah, and forget what other people say, because you and God have to have that thing.
You have to have your own relationship.
Absolutely absolutely, were you hesitant because I know it's season two right for Kingdom Business where you initially when you first were off of this. It has to give you some type of like, Okay, it's Kirk Franklin, it's divine Franklin.
I trust that too.
But were you somewhat hesitant because it is something that is different, you know, for you and for what people are like, oh, this is not what she and it is acting, but it's people might say, like you said in your DMS, this is I can't support you anymore.
Did you think about all of those things?
I didn't care. Okay, and I really didn't care.
I have lived my life knowing that there will be those people who don't agree with me, who don't like what I wear, who don't like the way I see. Thank you so much, thank you so much, But you know, and that's fine, But stay across the street and I'll leave you alone.
You leave me alone.
Because I grew up in a household where all six of us as kids had our own individual everything. We had our own individual sports, we had our own individual way of dressing. I was the hippie and the family, so I had the afros and all of that kind of stuff, the best and stuff like that. And I have another sister who was totally designer everything, and you know, and our parents allowed us that room to be us. So we grew up in a situation where I didn't have to be like my sister or my brother or my cousins. And so, you know, when you get into the real world and you see, oh, people really.
Don't understand that you can. We can all.
Thrive, we can all get exactly what we want, and we don't have to knock each other down absolutely, you know. And the whole social media thing. My daughter can tell you sometimes I'm on it, sometimes I'm not. She's like, Mom, you really need to post.
I'm like, okay, do it for me.
You go to Taylor is in the room today, cause you definitely got your whole face. This is a positive blessing. But she's also an actress, right, is an actress. She has done what three movies?
Yeah?
Two?
Uh, just graduated a couple of years ago.
And now she's in California, you know, and I'm so proud of her because.
I wanted to be everything.
That her heart desires for her to be because I've lived my life.
Yeah, your life. Oh absolutely, listen.
I see all the moves that you're making. You know, I think that, first of all, I don't know how you have time to do it all. So you have a new album that's coming out, Sunny Days Church Doors. That single just came out, and you know that is representative of a lot of things because people come into that church. So talk to me about about the single church Doors and what that represents and the message that you're giving people in that song.
Well, church Doors.
We have three different versions of church Doors. We have the churchy churchy version of church Doors. We have the house version of church Doors, and we have the extended house version that includes spoken word poor with j Ivy, who's a Grammy Award winner and everything. You know, you've played some of his stuff and now he has commercials on the NFL and stuff, and I'm like, nephew, the nephew, I need your help. And so church doors means different things because, as we know, in the physical realm, you can have a big cathedral with gorgeous ornate doors, or you can have a storefront church with just glass doors that you walk into. And the analogy and symbolism of church doors is we're actually the church, right, you know, wherever we go.
If it's Starbucks, we're the church.
If it's targeted, you know, not to mention anybody's names because they're not sponsoring me. But if it's online, church online, and you know a lot of people are still doing church. And so our symbolism is listen, although we have a whole bunch going on in this world, we still have something to be grateful for. So when the tagline says, when you let me make it to the church doors, I'll tell them what you've done for me. And so again it's anywhere you go that you feel the need to tell somebody you know, God is just good.
So that's what church doors is all about it.
And as people hear more about you, I am so sure that people come to you. And yes, because you have that vibe too, like I just feel like I could talk to her and tell her anything, you know, and that's a great positive thing. But that's also like, who do you talk to when you have things that you're going through.
Oh I have, you know, my pastor and I have first ladies who are friends of mine when we grew up together. I have my best friends. I have my my tailor. You know, I don't like to put anything on her, but you know, I am of the mind that God will send people to you, especially when you're that kind of person. He'll send someone to you right at the nick of time, you know, and at the opportune time to share your heart and say.
Hoo, child, I'm just tying, you know, something like that. And so.
I look at it as not just a responsibility, but also as a pleasure for me to do it because I know how hard people work, and I know how hard they work on their mental I know how hard they work on their spear ritual and.
To be able to hold people's secrets.
And to hold their you know, their confidence, that means a lot to me.
You know, church does you also have the video with oh my God? That was that was really an amazing video. I felt bad that I just said, oh my God, but that was an amazing video. So talk to me about the concept and coming up with that, because I, first of all, have never seen him.
Do well, you know, okay, so if we go back to the Bobby Brown, yeah yeah movie, Well you know the we know he got the moves. Oh my gosh, he has the moves. And he's such a nice guy.
You know, I know his power structure right now. It's kind of like anti bang, you know what it was.
I think, yeah, I think we put him in that role because that was the most recent one.
The most recent one, so they sat.
Him do this. The video was like, whoa, what's going on here?
Listen? I had got so many dms. Oh so you're taking Woody to church?
Like, oh my gosh.
And of course you know that used his screen name, but I thought it was so funny, and I thank him because he was one of the keys to making the video go viral.
And I'm just so blessed. I want it.
Like I said, like I was explaining church doors, there's so many different ways that we can look at life. We can look at spirituality, we can look at our relationship with God. And I wanted the video to be bright and full of love and light and all of that good stuff. So people, you know, I would say, oh okay, come home, Michelande.
I think I'm a TikTok viral video.
Yeah, because I can see people are going to be recreating that.
I hope.
So I can't see how it could. I feel like we got to get that started.
Okay, somebody is going to recreate I think a whole bunch of people are going to recreate that choreography.
Yes, yes, absolutely, I look forward to it. You Fatima.
Shout out to Fatima and Sylvia Rown who came up with all these great ideas and the video director.
I mean, it's just.
It expresses my, you know, my cool side to speak, so that means I'm current, you know. But I just I love the fact that it gives people pause sometimes, like, oh wait a minute, is this my the.
Battle is the Lord's Lady?
You know?
And so when they when.
They see church doors and they see the video and they hear the different versions.
They're like, wow, I like that. So yeah, I'm really excited.
And this is their first album. Since you just mentioned Sylvia Arone on Epic, is that counrrect.
My first album on Epic?
She and I were together when Elektra was Elektra back in the day, and she said, listen, got we gotta do this one more time, I'm like, Okay, now, if we do it one more time, we got to do it. Do it Selphie Okay, It's like okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, And she's so invested. I love her, I love my epic family. I'm I'm so proud of this right, I'm proud.
Of this project.
And you said you've been working on this for sixty year?
How did it evolve from when you first started to where we are today with it ready to come out?
I am glad that it took a six year journey. And here's why. Sometimes we can do something so quick and so fast and we feel like, oh, that's that was good, but there's no real life experience happening in there. So between twenty eighteen and twenty twenty four, we've.
Had a lot of stuff, a lot. But then, isn't that just like life? Yeah?
It is.
That's exactly like exactly like life.
You know, there's a day when you're up and you're doing well, and there's a day when you're conflicted and like, oh should I even.
Be doing this?
You know, there's a day when you're like, Okay, I know I want to do this, this and this, but let me count up the costs, you know, and you're a business woman, so you know all about it. Yeah, I did every in the days when it's like oooh, I'm done, I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore, and then something in your heart tugs and said, come on, come on, just finish finish it thing. You know, because I taught Taylor this years ago. My mom grandmother taught me the same thing. If you start a thing, you gotta finish it. Yeah.
Yeah, And even to start it is a big deal because sometimes we have ideas and we don't even get to the starting point.
And in the middle of eighteen nineteen twenty, when everything stopped almost to twenty one twenty two, there were different things I was feeling.
I was watching the.
News and the cynicism was getting, you know, to everyone, and then we started blaming everyone for the pandemic and all of this, you know, and then they started blaming folks for the deaths and all of it. I'm like, so just speak to me and tell me what I should be doing, what should I write, so that everyone who listens to this project can feel I'm not by my myself right, because you know, that's one of the enemy's biggest tricks is to make you feel like you're the only person on earth out of all these eight billion plus people, that you're the only one going through. So you can start feeling sorry for yourself or get into despair, and then despair turns into depression, and then depression turns into self hate and loathing and all of that. When an actuality is just another day at the office.
Right, Yeah, I mean I think during that time you were fortunate enough to come together like d nice. Yes, that was such a moment that never could have happened versus absolutely ended up happening during that time. More podcasts, yes, more podcasts and moreativity, you know, and uh and.
So it just it just it was a real test.
It's it was a test.
But it was also a season of creativity, a season of building, right, A season of restructuring, a season of trying to figure out, hmm, am I going to stay in this position?
Or am I going to create my own lane?
Yeah?
A lot of entrepreneurship. Some businesses actually thrived during that time. Yes, I had friends who owned the restaurants and they were like, look, we didn't have to have the whole staff. We just did take out to go we were able to do certain things and if not, I would have had to shut my business down. So it really helped people if you were able to work and pivot and figure out the right way to do things. It also made us realize the importance of being able to be online and technology and how that plays such a big role in success, so that if something happens, you can still keep your business.
Going absolutely and keep your life going.
And keep your life going right and stay connected. I mean zooms.
I had never been on a zoom prior to the pandemic, and the next thing you know, I was on a zoom every day.
Yes you were. There were meetings, this, and this was that.
And then shout out to mss Oprah who created this sisterhood kind of thing. And so myself, Tamlaman, Erica Campbell, and Tasha Cobbs, Leonard we all got on and we were laughing and talking and that made a big difference too.
I think laughter had a lot to do with it.
So when the comedians started doing their thing, it's like, oh, good, Okay, So I'm waiting for keV on stage, and I'm waiting for this one and I'm waiting for that one.
So a lot of people thrived.
And with this project, I wanted to make sure that the people who were left behind or who felt left behind understood, Hey, I was right there with you. And that's why the song when You Pray is so important?
Oh, you got that.
That's why the.
Song can I love somebody the way I want to be loved was so important because at that moment, you know, most people couldn't go visit their loved ones or anything like that. And you know, we always expect the person that we are in love with or enamored with to go beyond, you know, to capture our love and everything. But then the question that I found find myself asking, and I found myself asking as well, is now I'm requiring all of this of someone else, But am I willing yes to.
Be what I require?
Exactly? We got to look at ourselves, come on.
A lot of self reflection and you and listen, we talked about business.
You also have your jewelry line.
I have my jewelry line, and I'm very proud of that. It's Joland Adam's Jewelry. You can find it on the website and Instagram.
Some of the stuff they Oh, I had to do. When we first started, they were like, Okay, we're going to do these nice little do me.
I said, listen, I wear nuds, I wear big hoops, I wear the chunky ear rings. I wear the little chandelier ear rings. I'm a jewelry girl. I'm a girly girl. I love, you know, just being able to go into the you know, the little thing and just pick something out.
Oh, that'll look good today.
And I wanted it again thinking about the pandemic and people's you know, economics. I wanted it where it was stylish but also affordable, right right, And so we had yes, yes, absolutely, And of course we have the watch line. I gotta get you one, Lady Banneker. I'm the face of lady. Yes. You're so excited about that.
You're so passionate about the jewelry and the watch and Absolute watches and everything too, because it's nice to be able to do something that you use and you care about. Sometimes people start businesses just to make money, but it's so different when it's like I love.
This absolutely because I feel it's a piece of you.
Yeah, it's a piece of me, but also I feel good when I believe I look good and you know you are a.
Public got my air said.
I was so mad, like, man, what am I.
Going to do? But I'll send you a nice little package.
But don't worry. We support here.
Oh no, no, no, I know.
Order, I don't support because I love that. That's the main thing. We want to support businesses like that because what I love is to be able to see your Lyne, to see Mary J.
Blige and Simone.
Yeah, just to see all of that, like all the different options that we have that we can purchase.
That's a powerful thing.
I remember when Simone went came to Houston our Neemans and she was doing a trunk show and I said, oh my gosh, my daughter and my nieces would love you know, remember the little lollipop with the rhinestones and stuff.
I bought so many of those.
It were not good that we could support it. So the person behind the brand.
Absolutely and know that there's integrity behind the brand and that they stand by it, and so yeah, I'm just really excited about.
It, all right.
So besides that, the reunion tour, my goodness, I don't know how I mean, but it's amazing. So that has to be a good time though, because you got like quite the lineup of gospel artists on tour.
I mean, Kirk Franklin, the.
Clarkss Sierra is opening up. It's like, oh my god, all of these legacy artists coming together. And we've all been on tours with one another at some point in time and for all of our schedules. Here's the miracle, all of our schedules work together so we could be on this tour for thirty plus days.
It's like, wow, they never happened.
It would yeah, it would never happen. Fred and I have been on two tours together. Kirk and I have been on three tours together. Marvin and I we've done some dates together. Uh, you know, like many tours and stuff. And the Clark sisters we all grew up together, so to be able to hang out with them and our you know, our running theme for this tour is just gratitude. We're so grateful to be able to go anywhere and still be influential, still be inspirational and still have a little you know, flare and a little flash to us and yet a little edge to us. The folks are like, oh man, we got to go see that.
Yeah. Uh, you know, we were earlier. I was in the room before you got here.
We were talking about it about you know, all of the records that you've sold and all of the accolades that you've gotten.
That's not something you know, being like the gospel.
Artists of the decade, all of those things, that's not something that people accomplish a lot in gospel music.
It still blows my mind.
And so yeah, I want to ask you about that. How do you feel about all of these because sometimes you have to sit down and be like I did that, I did a thing.
And I think for me it's like who are you talking about?
And then yeah, for any genre and it's like wow, you feel first, you feel gratitude again, but then you feel responsibility.
How do I continue this?
Not trying, not that you know, of course I want Sunny Days to sell another five to ten million of anything, thank you Lord, but the responsibility to keep giving great music because you can't sell that many records without touching the hearts of people. And so if you make it your mission to touch the hearts of people, to make sure that you give them music that can guide their lives and can help them celebrate milestones in their lives. Half of that other stuff is you know, it's just bravy, right, and so you know, I'm really really grateful for that.
It still blows my mind.
And yeah, it's oh a rare thing.
Oh you know, I know that there's a lot of you know, up and coming gospel artists that might feel like, how can I ever achieve that level of success and to be able to test people's hearts in such a manner, And.
All it takes is the focus, the determination and the heart to be willing to say, if I sell a million copies, fine, but if I touch a million people, if I touch ten million people, that's more than enough. Because you know, and I've had conversations with everybody on the tour. We never set out, Okay, this record we're going to sell, so on this record, I'm going to get this video awards and all that kind of stuff, because you don't even think about it.
It's like way at the back of the burner, you know. But to.
Really sincerely want the best for the people who have guided you, who've watched you grow, who've watched you get married, who've watched your child be born, and you know, saw you on stage when you were pregnant, all of that kind of stuff. Those are the things that really really matter. And now she's twenty three, so there are a lot of people who've been with me thirty.
Forty plus years.
That's amazing.
And I am still in awe of the fact that God has kept He's more than kept his promise, and everything that I've asked for, he's superseded. So I don't care what your genre of music or where you find yourself business wise or whatever, when you keep your heart pure and when you make sure that what you're doing is to benefit somebody else as well, because it's gonna benefit years, but to benefit someone else as well. Hey, the sky is not even the limit.
But can you tell Danita that because.
Oh Danita, Oh well see that's a I don't have to have that conversation with her like season.
That's an episode. Yeah, well, listen.
I appreciate you so much, and congratulations for everything.
I mean, did I miss I know there's other things, I'm sure.
Oh my gosh, no, that was more than enough. And thank you again for sharing your platform. I love what you're doing. I love how you're opening the door for young women to understand that there's more than enough room everywhere for everybody.
And listen, whatever I could do, I always want to help. And there's people that are like new artists, up and coming women. I'm always like, I know how hard it is yes to be a woman and to be in this business, and so if there's anything I can do to help other people, I'm definitely the person that is glad to be in this position for that very.
Purpose, and that's why you're in.
Thank you.
You know, I don't know how what a blessing this is for me to have you up here, So thank you so much.
I really thank you. Like I said, I've been following you for a long time. We've been following you for a long so proud of everything.
I feel like it's shining on me right absolutely, it was shining on you when I walked the road, you know, like it is.
All you have to do is just show up and be you. That's the beauty of everything, you know.
Thank you. You can come up here anytime my days, but thank you so much.
I appreciate it. Make sure y'all get the album September thirteenth.
September thirteenth and Sunny Days and the Church Doors, whichever version you want. You can buy all three if you want to praise the Lord. It's out right now wherever you get your great music.
All right, and we're not going to take a long break again from putting out an album.
No we're not, okay, no we're notice. I've already promised. No I have already prom all right.
I know Sylvia Roon got at you, absolute yes she did. It's rollout doing all right. Well you're lying to Adams.
Thank you so much, Thank you, Angie
