For the past three decades, Serena Young has raised her strong, robust, colorful and anointed voice for the masses to hear. It is nearly impossible to go anywhere in the New York area without someone speaking her praises at the very mention of her name. In that time, she has risen above the typical classification of “a good singer” and become regarded as the premiere gospel voice in upstate New York. While the homegrown vocalist comes from small, humble beginnings, the prowess that she has delivered for so many years is now starting to garner the attention of others around the country and globe. It has by no means been an easy journey, but Young is determined to keep going.
“What keeps me going is] my passion for God and ministry; knowing that someone is depending on a word that’s in my mouth,” she said.
Young has had the opportunity to travel across the country. She has shared the stage with many gospel greats over the years. Many invitations have come her way to be a part of some place bigger with bigger money, bigger possibilities and more attractive living. But in spite of all the tempting offers, this gospel gem still serves at her local church. While maintaining her busy schedule and engagements, you can still find Serena Young leading worship, preaching and directing the choir at the True Gospel Church of God In Christ, pastored by her own father, Richard C. Williams Sr.
“My dad has been my greatest support system and I felt like I would have been abandoning him [if I left]. He has never tried to hold me back. He has always pushed me to go after my dreams. I’m a daddy’s girl. When I leave it will be in God’s timing and not my own,” she said.
The country was able to get a taste of what Rochester has experienced for years through Young back in the early 90s when she was a part of an all-female ensemble called “Uneek.” The women were signed to a national recording contract through Tyscot Records, which has bolstered the careers of John P. Kee, Deitrick Haddon and others. The group recorded two albums and yielded hits like “Good Morning Holy Spirit” and “Jesus I’ll Never Forget.” It was in that experience that Young learned valuable lessons about what it meant to be in this kind of career.
“We were young, so [there] was a lot we didn’t know. It taught me that you just can’t be spiritual in this. You have to know the business and know that everyone that says they have your back don’t! [You have to] know things for yourself, get a lawyer and credible representation,” she said.
As if a busy and budding career was not enough, Serena was also a mother, wife and daughter. Like many 21st century women, Serena had to find a way to balance her career and spend time with her four children.
“It was hard, but you have to find the time to spend with family. You have to try and find a balance. Sometimes I took my girls with me on the road, and even now I will sometimes take my youngest daughter with me just to share my experience,” she said.
Eventually the days with “Uneek” dissipated, and Serena left the national stage. What was the next step? Was this the end? Would she continue to be the hometown voice without any national platform? To some degree, that was what she thought. But in the first decade of the new millennium, that all changed. Serena Young returned with her first solo project “I Surrender All,” a move that she didn’t quite expect.
“[A] solo career is not where I thought I was headed. But the more mature I became in my spiritual walk, it became more clear to me what God wanted me to do,” she said.
After a long season away from the national stage, Serena has returned and in a major way. A great chunk of western New York cheered on as she appeared in the 7th season of the top-rated BET show “Sunday Best,” which premiered on July 6th. After singing a rendition of “Blessed Assurance,” show judges Yolanda Adams, Kierra Sheard, Donnie McClurkin and Kim Burrell all admitted her into the top 20. She will now compete among 20 others for a cash prize and a recording contract.
The excitement of her national TV appearance is now coupled with the release of her sophomore project. At the end of the first quarter of 2014, Serena released the “It’s Over” album. The album was recorded live in Rochester and features the classic sound that church-goers are used to hearing from the golden vocalist. The title of the project happens to be quite ironic. While it now commemorates the end of struggle, hurt and pain in her life, the title was once representative about how Serena felt about her career, her gift and her future.
“Inspiration [for this project] came from going through a traumatic experience; feeling like God failed me and my world fell apart, feeling like I was in this for nothing, wanting to walk away from music. [But] my very special friend [and album producer] Rufus McGee reached out to me and asked me what I was doing with my life. I told him [I was] trying to get it back together and he said ‘I’m going to help you.’ So him believing in me gave me the strength to begin again,” she said.
The album kicks off with a journey of musical high energy. It opens with the radio-friendly and bouncy hand-clapper called “Worthy Of All Our Praise.” While the song is simple, it gains great traction with quick and colorful background vocals and Young’s impeccable vocal flavor. The high-energy set is sure to grip the ears of every worship leader who listens. The set concludes with the title track, “It’s Over,” in which Young jovially celebrates and declares the victory of the believer in any situation because of their relationship with God. The mid-tempo groove is undoubtedly catchy; somewhat of a gospel equivalent to Pharrell’s chart-topper “Happy.”
The album includes some classic remakes of hit “Uneek” songs. The songs serve as a perfect bridge to what may be the most captivating section of the album. Young delivers raw, unadulterated and worshipful vocals to several power ballads. Within the arsenal of her powerful medley of worship songs, she revisits the classic song from Thomas Whitfield “Precious Jesus.” The earnest passion of her heart exudes as she cries out in desperation to be closer to God and to worship him. That passion is maintained throughout the set, which culminates with “Your Glory.” Young, alongside Buffalo-area worship leader Wynetta Hall-Mcleveen, lift up rousing voices to declare the glory of God. As a whole, “It’s Over” is an album that will pierce the heart of every believer, no matter what place in life they happen to be. There is truly something for everybody as they travel the journey of faith.
The journey has been a long one for Serena, filled with ups and downs, successes and failures, good choices and bad choices. But perhaps what is most admirable is her willingness to be accountable for the mistakes and bad choices she has made. She is not afraid to admit that there are some things that she wishes she would have done differently.
“I would have made God a priority in my relationship with him. Sometimes in our lives we make people our God, relying on them to fix our problems or situations. But when we realize that God is and will always be everything we need, our lives will run better. I’m grateful he didn’t give up on me in my stupidity,” she said.
For now, Serena Young continues on doing what she has always done. Her next project is not musical, but personal. She hopes to pursue higher education in the field of nursing.
