Former American Idol contestant and back-up singer to Katy Perry, Tasha Layton, claims she rejected a chance at pop stardom to dedicate herself to Christian music and serving God. According to Fox News, Layton is rapidly climbing the Christian music charts with her new release titled “Never”, which is based on her personal journey of turning to God during tough times. She highlights that her main objective with “Never” is to share her journey to God with the world.
New music is coming! 🔥 6.23.23 pic.twitter.com/5Mcm6F0O2Y
— Tasha Layton (@TLLayton) June 1, 2023
Layton shared that since she was a child, she has always wanted to serve in ministry full-time and create a family with a partner. Despite growing older and still not being where she wanted to be, Layton stated that she began to question whether God is keeping something from her or if she had done something to deserve her situation. However, eventually, she found solace when she turned to God.
In 2010, Layton attended an American Idol audition with a few friends and was unexpectedly picked to audition in front of the judges. Although neither she nor her friends made it past the initial auditions, Layton was invited to audition as a back-up singer for pop singer Kesha and later declined the offer. The same day she was supposed to start rehearsals with Kesha, Layton was asked to audition as a back-up singer for Katy Perry, which eventually lead to her years working with Perry. Despite being close to Perry and offered big money deals, Layton believed that fame and fortune were insufficient without serving God.
“Having experienced that culture and that pressure from being on the road with Katy and seeing it firsthand, I got a bird’s-eye view of how damaging it can be to your soul,” Layton reported. “And I just missed singing songs that directly connected people to God. I’ve always led worship in church. And you know, when I’m on my deathbed looking back, I’m not going to care that I built a career. I’m going to care that I helped people. I just didn’t see how a mainstream deal and the music that they wanted me to sing, the kind of thing that they wanted me to do, was going to be helpful for anyone and much less, connect people to who I believe is the creator of the universe.”
In short, Layton felt that dedicating her life to God was more valuable than the glamour and temporary contentment that the pop music industry offers. She believes that people should factor God into their journeys to find solace and meaning.
