’American Idol’ alumni: Jordin Sparks

• Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of blogs looking at the careers of former “American Idol” contestants with ties to Christian music.

At 20 years old Jordin Sparks is quickly becoming a veteran of the music business.

The Season 6 winner of American Idol in 2007 is establishing herself as a pop mainstay. Her second album, Battlefield peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard album charts in August and she was selected as the opening act for Britney Spears on the second leg of her tour last fall.

For the third consecutive year Sparks will be performing at the site of the Super Bowl to raise money for her foundation. The concert on Feb.3 in Miami will include a visit to Miami Children’s Hospital and feature other celebrities including Season 8 runner-up David Archuleta.

The foundation is an extension of Spark’s faith. She is the daughter of former New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys defensive back Phillipi Sparks and was raised in Glendale, Ariz. – the location of the Arizona Cardinals’ home stadium – where she honed her singing skills in church.

“I definitely recognize that I have a God-given talent,” Sparks told Everyday Christian in an interview last year. “I have a sense of inner peace, I know God gave me this wonderful voice and I feel that what He needs me to do is share it with others.”

As comfortable as Sparks may have always been on stage, she also embraces the challenge of being a Christian in the fast-paced world of popular music. She sports a purity ring indicating her intention to remain abstinent until marriage.

“My faith has been a humungous part of how I have looked at my career,” Sparks explained. “I started out singing in church very young and it took off from there. With my purity stance, I’m very careful about what I wear and the lyrics in my songs.

“The music business is a very secular world and there are always people quick to point to you as a hypocrite when you mess up with something and fall. I know that God has blessed me to be where I am and everything He has placed before me is just so amazing.”