As a child, Montell Jordan was constantly told that he would be a pastor someday. To him, being a pastor was never in the cards as a profession. Pursuing a music career was his main goal for the majority of his life. Upon signing with Def Jam Records, Jordan experienced a kind of "split personality" between his public image and his private one. Def Jam wanted to market Jordan as a sex symbol, a tall, smooth-talking gentlemen to swoon listeners with soulful ballads. However, Jordan was already married to now-wife Kristen Jordan. Def Jam's solution was to tell Jordan to keep his marriage a secret from the public eye, and disguise his wife as his manager under the name Kristen Hudson. Jordan has said in interviews that this kind of deception was displeasing to him, and made him unhappy with his career at Def Jam. He has described the music industry as "abusive" when it comes to his and his wife's marriage. As his relationship with Def Jam was coming to a crossroads, Jordan felt like the music industry as a whole was never a fulfilling experience for him.
When one watches music videos for songs like, "This Is How We Do It," it might seem strange to now see Jordan as a minister for the Victory World Church in Atlanta, Georgia. His videos feature Jordan seducing many different women. His songs frequently referenced sexual themes, flaunted wealth, and referenced aspects of gang culture. Today you'll find his songs being typically used in less family-friendly content, such as in the 2016 film "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates." Jordan has said his image as an artist was troubling him. Attempting to mature as an artist, he eventually left Def Jam Records to produce two more albums. While these albums were more authentic to Jordan's intended artistic vision, they were less successful commercially. To Jordan, the decline in ticket sales was a challenge from God: “God, if you let me do the music, I don’t care if I’m performing for 70,000 or 7. I’ll always give my best performance.”
It was during his break from music in the 2000's when he became more involved with his faith, joining the Victory World Church. In 2010, in the midst of planning to return to the music industry with a new album, he and his wife participated in a fast at the megachurch. It was then that Jordan found his new calling. Jordan said God told him to quit the music industry and pursue a career as a pastor. At this moment Jordan realized the futility of finding happiness in the music business, and that it was merely a distraction to his religious pursuits.
Jordan became a pastor for the Victory World church. He produced a gospel album in 2011 as part of the megachurch, and continues to incorporate music into his sermons. In recent interviews Jordan says he has finally found satisfaction in his career and life overall.
When one watches music videos for songs like, "This Is How We Do It," it might seem strange to now see Jordan as a minister for the Victory World Church in Atlanta, Georgia. His videos feature Jordan seducing many different women. His songs frequently referenced sexual themes, flaunted wealth, and referenced aspects of gang culture. Today you'll find his songs being typically used in less family-friendly content, such as in the 2016 film "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates." Jordan has said his image as an artist was troubling him. Attempting to mature as an artist, he eventually left Def Jam Records to produce two more albums. While these albums were more authentic to Jordan's intended artistic vision, they were less successful commercially. To Jordan, the decline in ticket sales was a challenge from God: “God, if you let me do the music, I don’t care if I’m performing for 70,000 or 7. I’ll always give my best performance.”
It was during his break from music in the 2000's when he became more involved with his faith, joining the Victory World Church. In 2010, in the midst of planning to return to the music industry with a new album, he and his wife participated in a fast at the megachurch. It was then that Jordan found his new calling. Jordan said God told him to quit the music industry and pursue a career as a pastor. At this moment Jordan realized the futility of finding happiness in the music business, and that it was merely a distraction to his religious pursuits.
Jordan became a pastor for the Victory World church. He produced a gospel album in 2011 as part of the megachurch, and continues to incorporate music into his sermons. In recent interviews Jordan says he has finally found satisfaction in his career and life overall.