Today we’d like to introduce you to James Vincent.
Hi James, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, a city known for its creativity in food and music. I was naturally drawn to creating music; my mother sang and played the piano and would teach me and my brothers. I began to sing and perform in church at an early age, learning the trumpet, piano, and a number of other instruments. At the age of 16, I was in a service at the church I attended with my family. In that service, I felt something very deep, and although I had been involved in church since age 10, this was a very different, very real feeling. It was then that my passion to connect others to God’s presence through music was awakened.
I began leading worship at age 19 at Victory Fellowship in Metairie, LA. It was at that time I met Robyn, the woman I would eventually marry. Together, we would minister in the low-income neighborhoods of New Orleans; I would sing and play while she and others would minister to the people. We wed in 1998. My desire to not only sing at church but record music for the masses began to grow. I led worship at another church in the city for eight years before moving to Denton, TX. I got involved with a church that is now in Corinth, TX (where I live), and began traveling the world, singing, speaking, and recording music in different nations. It’s one of the reasons that much of my music has international overtones. At the time of my writing this, I’ve been blessed to travel to 48 countries and counting.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth. As someone who was pretty much raised in church from a young age, there are many religious ideas that are engrained into our psyche– many of which have nothing to do with anything except appeasing a “system.” It was difficult carrying dreams and visions of what I wanted to be and not being able to share with anyone out of fear. I was fearful that I’d be rejected or seen as rebellious. I was very caught up in people-pleasing. It took a long time for me to become bold enough to step out and humble enough to not see everyone as the enemy.
Another struggle is that I hear music in a very broad yet specific way (I don’t know if that makes sense), and because of that, it was difficult to make people understand what sounds I would try to create. Collaborations were extremely dreadful situations for me. I have learned effective workarounds, and I’ve had great collaborators in recent years.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a singer, songwriter, composer, recording artist, worship leader, speaker, and author. I am mainly known for worship leading, for the simple fact that many nations tune into the broadcast at the church where I serve. It was that very thing that opened the door for me to travel the nations. It’s a great privilege to be able to do what I do, but one of the things that I believe separates me from the typical worship leader is that I completely depend on God to lead me into what He wants me to do in a given space. There are times I’ll begin a worship set with no plan whatsoever! I do a lot of spontaneous singing. While traveling, I have done entire services where I’ve pretty much led the congregation in songs they’ve never heard– for the simple fact that I had never heard them either, ha! They were completely spontaneous times of expression.
This has led many people to ask me how I do what I do. To make a long story short, I wrote two books (working on a third) that helps those who want to more deeply explore the subject: “Moving with Heaven: The Prophetic Worshipers Handbook” and “Moving with Heaven: God Is”. My wife and I also began the ALTAR School of Worship to help aspiring worship leaders relate to more than just singing songs.
I have recorded lots of music and been on many projects, some of which can be found at jamesvincentworship.com. I recorded my first live album in 2018, “A Live Worship Album”. I have recently released a single, “Break My Walls Down,” that has had great airplay around the world. I have new music on the way!
I also facilitate a worldwide worshipers’ network, the Worship International Network (WIN). We worship together, create together, and release songs as WIN Worship Co. We have people involved from many different nations and backgrounds, and the sounds that come forth as we collaborate are very different and glorious!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I have been encouraged during the past five years as I’ve witnessed a shift in mainstream Christian music. It seems to be returning to a boldness in its profession of Christ on a grander scale. My hope during these next few years is to see many more hidden artists come to the forefront with a bold, uncompromising Godly message blended with awe-inspiring expressions of creativity!
Contact Info:
- Website: jamesvincentworship.com
- Instagram: @jvincentiii
- Facebook: facebook.com/jamesvincentworship
- Twitter: open.spotify.com/artist/4XFX8zfCKhKfwmpKQG0fJO?si=f_cAqno5TBW36dhhkxdJ_Q
- Other: worshipintl.org
