
Exclusive: Jordin Sparks Shares Emotional Story Of How Husband Dana Isaiah Saved Her Music Career

Jordin Sparks is living life with no restrictions, and her latest studio album is proof in the pudding.
The singer first rose to fame after winning the sixth season of American Idol in 2007. With almost two decades of experience in the music industry under her belt, Sparks's new album, No Restrictions, intentionally represents a very particular time in her life. Most of the songs on the project were written while the world was on lockdown, making the project not only very personal but one that showcases Sparks' ability to defy being categorized under one genre.
“There’s a song on the album called ‘No Restrictions,’ which is a whole different meaning, but I was just so drawn towards the title because I feel like that’s just where I am in my life,” Sparks tells xoNecole.
“I’ve stepped into my power as a wife, a mother, a friend, an artist, a songwriter, a woman, a human, and I just feel like sometimes there are times when other people try to restrict you and put you in a box. But sometimes, you can be your own worst enemy, and you can do it to yourself. You can hold on to outdated versions of yourself. You can hold on to things that were said that don’t apply to your life anymore.”
“That’s the space I’m in,” she continues. “I’m dropping all of those things. The ball and chain of people’s opinions because everybody’s going to say what they’re going to say. I feel like I’ve always had pretty thick skin, but now I’m just like…and?”
"I’m dropping all of those things. The ball and chain of people’s opinions because everybody’s going to say what they’re going to say. I feel like I’ve always had pretty thick skin, but now I’m just like…and?"
Moreover, if it wasn’t for her husband, Dana Isaiah, Sparks would have walked away from music as a whole. She recalls having the U-Haul packed and ready to head out until their paths crossed.
“This music would not be happening without him,” reveals Sparks. “I really was, like, my house was up for sale. I had a storage pod halfway packed, and then he came into my life and said, ‘Why are you running?’ And I was like, sir, I do not know you well enough for you to ask me this. I didn’t say that, but I did laugh in my head. He was right, and I was running because I was just tired of the games. I was tired of all the craziness, and he really loved me back to life, to be honest.”
She adds, “He helped remind me who I was, like, ‘No, we need your voice. Your voice needs to be heard.’ It took me a second to be like wait, Oh yeah, I did that. He’s really put me on his shoulders. He has elevated me to levels that I never thought that I could be.
"And in terms of a relationship, to have the freedom to just be myself and to do the things I love and go for what I’m doing without the fear of anxiety, like this is going to cause a fight, or this is going to do this or whatever the fears we can get within relationships can be. I never have that. I’m very much like, alright, babe, what do you think about this one? I fell in love with his mind and I fell in love with his heart, so I’m always asking his opinion and asking what he thinks.”
For Sparks, it's important for their son to see his mother not only being loved out loud but also having the freedom to flourish and just be.
“It’s important as a woman and as a mother for your child or children to see you living your most authentic self and doing things because you love to do it and because it makes you happy and it fulfills you,” says the “No Air” singer.
“It may not happen at the time you think it’s going to happen, but for me, I’m always like what’s meant for me will never miss me. I’m just really happy that he has parents that are like that because my husband’s that way, too. He’s very much like I’m going to do my own thing. He knows what he wants, and so I’m really grateful that he’s got parents that have that kind of mentality to just speak up.”
Sparks and hubby Dana Isaiah tied the knot in 2017, and when a position for management came open on her team, she knew that he was the only one who could fulfill the job she needed at the time.
"It’s important as a woman and as a mother for your child or children to see you living your most authentic self and doing things because you love to do it and because it makes you happy and it fulfills you."
“It was an easy decision because I was like, nobody knows the story of what I’m trying to do more than he does, so if I want this to be put out the right way, what better way than to have somebody who is, every single day, knows who I am. He knows my heart. He knows my dreams, my goals, and he just wants to see me achieve them. That just made it an easy decision.”
“It’s been a couple of years, and he never took that spot to be permanent, so I now have a manager. His name is Silas White, he’s amazing,” Sparks continues.
“So Dana now does like day to day and Silas does the overall, which has been great because I get tired of it being about me all the time. We’re always together, so once he came into that position, it was like everything we talked about outside of it was always like work or something that I needed to do, so I was just like, I’m ready for this not to be about me.”
Outside of music, these days, Sparks finds enjoyment in, of course, the family time that she shares with her husband and son, but also her spiritual development and spending time to be one with nature.
“I always imagined that I’d get there, but now I’m here, you know?” says Sparks. “I’m in the space where I can see the signs very clearly. I’m very clear with my path and what I’m supposed to be doing, and I know I’m supposed to be here singing and bringing joy to people and healing people, making them feel something, through my music. So with that being said, it applies to having no restrictions as well. It makes things very clear and simple.”
No Restrictions is now available for streaming on all digital streaming platforms.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Parsons
Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
Featured image by xoNecole/YouTube
Self-Validation, No Meals After 5 P.M. & The Wellness Rituals That Helped Lizzo Take Her Power Back
Don't let the "weight release" fool you, Lizzo's transformation wasn't just physical. It was spiritual, emotional, and deeply personal. In her Women's Health cover story, the "Good As Hell" artist opened up about the low point that became the catalyst for radical change in her life, inside and out.
In the summer of 2023, Lizzo found herself at the center of what she calls painful allegations when some of her former dancers filed a lawsuit against her. The 37-year-old singer has denied their claims, and though she has experienced "backlash my entire career," going through such legal woes coupled with public scrutiny proved to be detrimental to her mental health, leading her to one of the darkest periods of her life.
She told Women's Health, "I got very paranoid and isolated. I wasn’t even talking to my therapist. I wasn’t present. I wasn’t open. I wasn’t myself anymore."
After spending months in isolation, Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, decided to go to a tour stop on the Renaissance World Tour. She was nervous that the public would shun her, boo her, or reject her, but instead, she was embraced. It shifted something in her and after feeling so in the dark, she saw the light again. "It made me feel like, wow, maybe I don’t want to die," she shared with Women's Health.
"That was the kick-starter to me being like, ‘Okay, Melissa, get your ass in gear and take your f*cking life back.’"
Her first step in Operation Get Your Life Back? Cutting out the external noise. She gave her team total control of her social media and stopped looking at comments. "My validation was from external sources, people telling me they loved me, or that I look good, and accepting me," she explained. "But if that’s all I’m getting my validation from, when it changes—and it will, because people are not always going to like you—what happens? Where are you going to get your love from?"
Lizzo continued, "I can convince myself that I’m beautiful, my body fine, no matter how big or small. But reminding myself that you can’t let others tell you who you are—that was hard work."
Lizzo started going to therapy again, she started practicing quigong meditation, reading books, journaling, and doing sound baths. She released unhealthy relationships, drank echinacea tea, and began incorporating Pilates as a means to "feel sacred" and "be gentle" with herself.
But what many have interpreted as a "weight loss transformation" after she popped out sharing she met her "weight release" goal earlier this year, Lizzo has clarified that it has been something deeper for her than the aesthetic of a smaller body. "I wanted to be big-girl skinny," she told the mag. "Every big girl knows what I’m talking about. Big-girl skinny is 250 pounds." According to her, it was her back issues that inspired her to take the physical part of her wellness journey seriously.
I DID IT! #weightrelease
@lizzo I DID IT! #weightrelease
Through her friend Kelly Rowland, she linked up with her now-trainer Marvin Telp and developed a fitness regimen that prioritized strength and intention. Her weekly schedule now includes moves like single-leg deadlifts, reverse flies, and lateral lunges, along with infrared sauna sessions and cardio. Add to that a change in eating habits after realizing her vegan diet no longer served her (to be fair, she wasn't doing the vegan thing the "healthiest" way).
All the meat substitutes, bread, cashew cheese, and soy left her bloated and lightheaded, so now she's switched things up a bit to fill the nutritional gaps. When it comes to diet, it's heavy on the protein and vegetables for Lizzo. A typical day eating looks like scrambled eggs and cauliflower hash browns for breakfast, Thai chicken salad or lettuce wraps for lunch, and turkey meatloaf with greens for dinner.
She also has a strict cutoff of no meals after 5 p.m. to support her GERD and give her body the time it needs before bed to digest her food sans the acid reflux. Of her relationship with food and wellness, she told Women's Health, "There's a balance. I think that's what true health is."
Read Lizzo's full cover story with Women's Health here.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock