Though not everyone remembers her name, but back in the late '80s and early '90s, Regina Belle was considered royalty in the R&B-pop scene with hit singles like "Baby Come to Me" and "Make It Like It Was." Most will remember the vocalist for her 1992 duet with Peabo Bryson "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin, which became a No. 1 hit and earned her both a Grammy and an Oscar. The singer/songwriter held close to her Christian principles throughout all the secular success, often sharing her faith from the stage. But it wasn't until 2008 when she finally released her first gospel album, Love Forever Shines. Why did it take so long to express her faith through a recording? Belle believes she wasn't quite ready for such an album early on, due to personal battles with pride, loneliness, and in one life-changing incident, alcohol. Talking to Christian Music Today from her home in Atlanta, Belle addresses those struggles and the joy she finds through serving at the church of her husband, former NBA star John S. Battle III, now a senior pastor.

It's great to hear you recording again.

Regina Belle: Thanks! It's good to have a new record out and I thank God for finding me worthy to carry this message. I'm elated I'm able to do this at this stage of the game because it's not an easy thing to switch gears [at this point in my career]. I'm 45-years-old and have been in the industry since I was 21—I feel so blessed to be found worthy.

Do you think fans of your mainstream music career will be surprised by this newfound gospel direction?

Belle: I don't think my fans are all that surprised because when I'm in concert, they know Regina can break off into praise at any moment. I've been giving God the glory for a long time and I've never allowed fans to believe for one moment that I was pulling up my own bootstraps. So I don't think they're surprised, but I suppose some might be who aren't familiar with who I am.

A lot of mainstream stars are very private about their faith. Why was interjecting it into your secular platform so important to you from the beginning?

Belle: It's my foundation and something I never left, but I can say that through the years, God has beefed up that understanding. All of the stuff that I was going through in my life, he helped me amidst the hardships. He was taking his time to build me into the woman he wanted me to be, opening the doors for me to go into the R&B world. Some church folk might not agree with that [decision to go mainstream], but it's given me a full-fledged understanding of who God is, and given me a greater compassion for people in the world that might be a little different than folks who've only lived in church circles their whole life.

What kept you from diving headlong into a gospel career rather than waiting twenty years to record your first gospel album?

Belle: Now with 20/20 hindsight, I needed to grow in life. I needed to see God in the way I see him now. I needed to be able to see that God is still God in all things. Even through feeling abandoned, we need to still keep praising him. I went through some heartbreaks, but through his grace and mercy, I also saw him bless me with things I know I didn't deserve. I needed to live [though it all] to come to a point of writing songs like "Almost Slipped" and "I'll Never Leave You Alone" to tell people of his goodness—not just for the lost who don't know Jesus, but also for those in the church who know him, but are not living in freedom. Why not activate full coverage? Jesus didn't die for half coverage!

Love Forever Shines alludes to your deliverance from a variety of issues. In what ways did alcohol come into play during your life in the limelight?

Belle: It wasn't so much a habit of drinking, but rather a one-time situation that could've been a lot worse than what it was. I was dating this guy at the time, and we were supposed to be together one night in Louisiana. Turns out he had made other plans, and that made me angry. Just to show how stupid we can be, I told myself, "If he doesn't get here in 30 minutes, I'm gonna drink this whole bottle," which was a fifth of Hennessey. At the time I thought, Who's that gonna hurt?—looking back, I can respond, Me. But when you're living an arrogant life, it's easy to come up with stupid rationalizations like that. Even though I knew God, God wasn't in me at that time, and I drank the whole bottle. But after drinking it, I didn't get high or even a buzz, and that sacred me so bad. That was God letting me know right there and then, "If you want to do this, you're gonna have to go to something much stronger or drink a whole lot more to achieve what you're trying to achieve." And I never took another drink after that—not socially or anything. That was 1989.

You mentioned dealing with arrogance and anger. Why were you so unhappy when so much was going right with your career?

Belle: Things can't comfort you or dry your eyes. The Grammy doesn't bring you peace when you have questions about your life. No amount of money will heal. That's why really rich people jump off buildings. You can be on the top of your game and still feel most alone in the world. That was the dilemma I was going through.

What was the turning point that led to your spiritual reconnection after all the loneliness?

Belle: It was about eight years ago when I was in a hotel room in Detroit. I cried out thanking the Lord for the things he'd given me, but also crying out "I need you" because I knew that [material] stuff isn't enough. I was praying, and the Holy Ghost told me, "You're not low enough." So I got on my knees and continued praying and crying out. Again I heard, "You're not low enough," so I got on my face, which is when I heard a voice say, "I will never leave you alone." It was so present—not like the loud crackling of thunder or other things you might expect, but so pronounced, so clear and audible that peace came over me and the tears stopped. It was almost like an arm was wrapped around me saying, "Don't cry, I'm right here in front of your face. You've been looking, but I've always been right here. Just trust me."

How did this new depth of relationship with God translate to the new record?

Belle: If you listen to the title track, "Love Forever Shines," it's talking about a place we have in God—"Come with me to this place where God allows you to have some rest." You can forget about every issue and situation you're going through, and you don't have to die to get to this place. If we serve a God who never sleeps, why are we losing sleep? If we accept that in him we're able to do all things except fail, we can have a much better, much freer life.

What type of musical styles can listeners expect from the CD?

Belle: I tried to maintain a lot of the sounds from my past records, which always had variety. I do a little bit of [traditional and contemporary] gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop. I didn't want to stray too much [stylistically] just because it was filled with gospel content. That's what fans know me for, and if you have the skills, talents and gifts, why not utilize them?

How does this disc differ from your previous projects?

Belle: The difference is that now it's not about just about entertainment. Now I'm taking it higher, talking about love not just from the standpoint of two people, but where love ultimately comes from and emanates from.

What led your husband John to switch careers and become a senior pastor?

Belle: Last weekend was his first anniversary. [After the NBA], he was doing some real estate, which was satisfying at first, but didn't fill the void. There was a greater calling on his life—we both knew it, but we didn't know what it was. Through prayer, God revealed what he wanted my husband to do.

What is your church life like these days amidst another album and touring cycle?

Belle: It's been difficult because right now, my husband is doing a lot of the ministry at home, while I've been on a nine-week tour ministering abroad. Right there was a challenge to our marriage and ministry, and had God not been in the midst of all that, it could've caused some major stress. But we had to come into an understanding that our ministries are not typical. There are some things God has entrusted us with that are not like the regular roles of a pastor and first lady doing everything side by side. Some things God's gonna trust me with to do by myself and some things my husband is going to do by himself, even though I'm always supporting him in it.

When you're not traveling, how are you able to plug into the congregation?

Belle: It's wonderful because we're able to love on folk and it's amazing when people come to the church with a preconception of who they think you are. Sometimes they think [as celebrities] that we're untouchable, but we come in contact with our church family—we talk and worship with everyone and make a point to try to come around and hug everybody.

Do you ever have celebrity hunters visit your church, looking to catch a glimpse of you or your husband?

Belle: Oh absolutely! People will come in asking, "Where's Regina Belle?" and "Where's John Battle?" Thankfully, the Holy Ghost has such an outpouring [over our church] that the focus is not at all on us but on the Lord. We're grateful because we don't care how or why people get to our church. It's more important how they leave, hopefully having a closer relationship with God. Some people finish their conversations with me by saying that I'm so down to earth, and it makes me wonder, Well what did you expect? It's not the recognition I enjoy. Instead, I love that people's minds get changed because of who we are [and who we identify with].

Looking back over your career thus far, what has brought you the most fulfillment?

Belle: I've come in contact with so many people not just in the U.S., but from other countries. I remember singing "Make It Like It Was" in Japan, which is really a gospel song, even though a lot of people don't know it as such. I remember a young lady in the audience was crying and crying, and I didn't understand why because most audiences in Japan don't speak English. So I asked my interpreter to make sure she came back after the show and asked through her, "Why does that song touch your heart so much?" She said, "Even though I don't speak English, I understand everything you are saying through it." The essence of the song had transcended the lyrics, and it gave me a sense of purpose. I'm here for a reason and God allowed me to see that in this young lady. It's most fulfilling to see what God accomplishes by working through us.

Click here to read our review of Regina Belle's first gospel project, Lost & Found. You can listen to song clips and buy the album at Christianbook.com

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