James Fortune & FIYA

Born on November 29, 1978, in Richmond, Texas, James Fortune grew up in the church where his father served as pastor and first took up drums at age five. Following graduation from Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas, he studied at Cal State Northridge and later became choir director at Dimension Church in Houston. Fortune recognizes that conveying redemption to modern listeners demands theatrical presentation, so his albums function as polished urban gospel hip-hop soul productions staged with Broadway flair and filled with his spoken, sung, and shouted exhortations. Equally at home as preacher, choir leader, master of ceremonies, and worship service director as he is a vocalist, he excels at delivering gospel and praise songs to a young contemporary audience. Working with his featured choir FIYA, whose name stands for Free in Yahweh's Abundance, he integrates hip-hop arrangements and urban beats throughout his recordings, among them You Survived (2004), The Transformation (2007), Encore (2010), and Identity and Grace Gift (both issued in 2012).