Singers who began their musical lives in church

Many artists began their careers at the altar of a church. It was there that they released their voices, learned to play instruments, and emerged into the universe of fame. In this gallery, discover some of the names and be surprised!

Elvis Presley's awakening to art began when he attended the Assembly of God. The King of Rock even recorded religious hymns and released an entire gospel album.

The son of a pastor and a devout mother, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin not only recorded hymns of praise but also included religious references in his hits.

Beyoncé was a soloist in the St. John's United Methodist Church in Houston. "I was maybe 9 or 10 years old the first time I sat there where my daughter is sitting. I sang my first solo here," she said in an interview with NBC, held in the place where it all began.

As a girl, one of the greatest voices of all time started singing in the choir of a Baptist Church. At the age of 11, she already stood out among the other members.

Before becoming the Queen of Rock and adopting the name Tina Turner, Anna Mae Bullock was part of the Baptist church choir. Without the affection of her parents and with a difficult life, she found in music a way to escape her complicated emotional life.

Aretha was in the choir at New Bethel Baptist Church, where her father, CL Franklin, was pastor. At the age of 12, she embarked with him on the Gospel Caravan, a tour where she performed in several churches across the United States.

The singer released three religious albums throughout her career, including 'Amazing Grace' (1972), the best-selling gospel album of all time.

One of the biggest names in disco music, Donna Summer began her career dedicating herself to the Christian life and being part of a church choir in the city of Boston (USA).

In the late 1940s, Rey Charles, still very young, was playing the piano and singing in gospel groups. With this base, he consolidated his musical trajectory, reinventing the songs learned in church. Thus, he created a new and vibrant musical genre: soul.

Katy Perry was born and raised in a Christian family. As a child, she sang in the church choir, and at the age of 16, under her given name Katy Hudson, she released her first religious album. Unfortunately, the album had its sales canceled, due to the closure of Red Hill Records, the responsible label.

Little Justin, two years old, started learning the drums at church. After some years of excesses and controversies being a superstar, Bieber has now returned to religion. "That confuses a lot of people because they’re like, Well, you go to church. I believe in the story of Jesus - that’s the simplicity of what I believe," the singer told the newspaper O Globo.

The Prince of Soul was the son of a religious minister and a maid. Although his childhood was precarious and very violent, it was in the Pentecostal church where he began to sing. At the time his mother encouraged and helped him to fulfill his dream of becoming a singer.

Legend came from a family of gospel musicians, and as a child, he devoted himself to piano and voice lessons. In time, while attending the University of Pennsylvania, he took over as director of the Scranton city church choir.

As a child, Stevie Wonder was an active member of the church choir where he began playing piano, harmonica, drums, and bass.

James Brown had a very intimate connection with gospel music. His first experiences were with religious melodies, when he participated, as a child, in a church choir.

Little Richard came from an evangelical family and was raised in the faith. Older, he went on to study at an Adventist institution. For five years, he dedicated himself to Christianity and only recorded gospel music.

Before going to TV, at age 11, alongside Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera to star in the program 'Mickey Mouse Club', Britney was already singing in the Baptist church.

The singer, who is the grandson of a minister at a Baptist church, discovered music while participating in a religious choir. He considers himself more "spiritual than religious". In any case, it still maintains Christian thought.

Singer Avril Lavigne grew up in a conservative family that excelled in religious concepts. As a girl, she sang in the church choir. As a teenager, she got a guitar and started writing her own songs.

Bono has always been openly Protestant and, in several compositions, speaks of God. This is the case of the song entitled '40,' which is an adaptation of the 40th psalm of the Bible.

Before joining The Primettes, which later became The Supremes, Diana Ross, aged 15, was heavily involved in the choir of her church in Detroit (USA).

The Baptist church was where Jennifer Hudson started her musical life. There, in addition to singing in the choir, she performed theater in the community.

When the rapper released the album 'Bible of Love' (2018), people had difficulty believing that it was a return to his roots. In fact, as a young boy, he started playing the piano and singing in the local church.

Jessica Simpson sang at the church where her father was a pastor. Her first album was dedicated to gospel music, however, the label went bankrupt and the work was archived. Years later, Tommy Motolla got the Texan singer's material and released it on Columbia Records.

Long before the Brazilian singer Anitta became famous, she sang in the church choir. In an interview with TV Globo's 'Altas Horas', the singer said that she was influenced by her grandfather: "He was Catholic and always went to mass, and I started to go too just to sing. I thought that people who were there to see Mass, were there to see me. I loved singing in church."