A Whole New World
Happily immersed in ministry at her husband's church, award-winning singer/songwriter Regina Belle explains why it took nearly twenty years to record her first gospel project.
by Andy Argyrakis | posted 8/18/2008
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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!
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