Effortless grace, undeniable natural beauty, and a voice hand delivered by God and his angels themselves are just a few of the notable ingredients that make up Jordin Sparks. The former sixth-season American Idol winner - who made history as the youngest winner of the entire franchise at just 17 years young - has gone on to release hit after hit, marking her territory as a key voice in the 2010s R&B scene with “Tattoo,” “One Step At A Time,” “No Air,” and “Battlefield.” Now, the Sparkle star has added a few new titles to her resume, including wife, mother, and Cantu Beauty ambassador.
The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter has been personally tapped by the hair care brand to join forces in an effort to shine a light on the brand’s community initiatives to give back to women around the world. This includes her partnership with the global nonprofit organization Women Empowering Nations, which kicked off in 2022 with a surprise virtual visit to the final 11 young women who were awarded a spot in the Cantu GLOW Global Fellowship, a four-month hands-on experience in the beauty industry.
In an exclusive interview with xoNecole, Jordin opens up about her natural hair care journey, how self-love and self-care work hand-in-hand, and how becoming a mother and a wife has challenged her self-care maintenance.
xoNecole: How did the partnership with Cantu first begin?
Jordin Sparks: Well, I actually ran into [Global Marketing Director] Dametria [Mustin] down in New Orleans for ESSENCE Fest. We were at this Black excellence brunch and our paths crossed, and we just kind of connected. I really love what the company stands for and how they are empowering women, and at the same time making and helping women feel beautiful with their hair no matter how they rock it. Anytime I can be a part of something that helps uplift women and empower them, I want to do it, so it just seemed like the perfect partnership.
xoN: When did you begin to fall in love with your natural hair?
JS: Honestly, I think it took a little while to fully embrace my hair. I always loved my curls, but when I was growing up, I always wanted something that I didn't have naturally, which was straight hair just because it was different; it was so pretty. My mom's hair was straight as well, but I loved my curls - always. I never wanted to get rid of them. I think it wasn't until probably my mid-twenties that I really started to understand my hair and what it needs, what it doesn't need, how it works best, how to take care of it with a crazy schedule, and different things like that. I would say my mid-twenties was when I really started to embrace and love my natural hair.
Jordin Sparks.
Image courtesy of Cantu.
xoN: When does your hair feel the most beautiful?
JS: Honestly, I love it when my curls are doing what they're supposed to and being wild and free. I love them when they're like that, but now that I've discovered protective hairstyles, I also love my hair in braids. I feel really beautiful when I have those, and I especially love the fact that I can do so many different things with them as well.
xoN: How has your hair routine changed since you’ve become a wife and a mother?
JS: Well, I definitely don't take as long to do my hair like I used to. That's also why I love the protective styles. With braids, I tried faux locs, I tried the Marley twists. I love them all, but the best part about them is that you just wake up and go. You don't have to do anything and you still look fly no matter where you go. It's definitely changed as I have less time and I need less fuss, to be honest.
xoN: Why is it important to include natural hair into conversations about self-love?
JS: Honestly, I think this is a really good question because if we can't love our hair, which is our crown, it naturally comes out. We can change it when it's out with different treatments and stuff, but we can't change the type of hair that we have. I mean, I'm sure technology has come so far that maybe we can now, but as of now, I don't know if we can do that. If we're talking about self-love and loving ourselves in all that we are, that would definitely include the crown of hair that we wear.
I know when I was younger, my hair just did what it wanted to do. I didn't quite know how to do my hair yet, and sometimes it would make me feel a little self-conscious because I was already tall and stood out where I was. When my hair kind of just did its own thing, it stood out even more. I'm grateful. I know we're all individuals and I'm meant to stand out from the crowd, but when I was younger, I just wished my curls would've just done what I told them to do.
Embracing my hair has definitely helped me embrace the rest of me as well. My natural beauty and what I have. I love my cheeks, I love my eyes, I love my face, my skin, my smile especially, and I love my hair. When you look in the mirror, those are the things that you see. You see your eyes, you see your face, and you see your hair. I think that it's definitely important to include that in the conversation with self-love because it's one of the first things that you notice, and the first thing that you see, and it's going to be with you. I mean, hopefully, it'll be with us for as long as we are around, but it depends.
"Embracing my hair has definitely helped me embrace the rest of me as well. My natural beauty and what I have. I love my cheeks, I love my eyes, I love my face, my skin, my smile especially, and I love my hair."
Jordin Sparks.Image courtesy of Cantu.xoN: Who are some of the women that you turn to for natural hair advice?
JS: Honestly, this is a good question as well because I have learned a lot over social media, and with all the different women that I come across and I run into. Everybody that I have met, all these different women, these amazing artists, and songwriters, and actresses that I've come across, and in other fields as well. Everybody's got a different way of how they do their hair and it's always so interesting to me. If the conversation comes up, I definitely love to ask, but I learn a lot of different ways to do your hair and different hacks from social media, to be honest.
xoN: What are some key lessons that you’ve learned about natural hair and self-love that you wish you would’ve learned sooner?
JS: I wish I could have told my younger self that doing my hair is a process and that it's something that you have to learn. When you're young, you want everything to happen right then and there. I don't remember spending a ton of time crying over my hair, but I do remember moments where I felt frustrated and just wished it would've been easier. But nothing that's ever worth doing is very easy, so I'm grateful that I've learned to exercise patience in that way with my hair. Being able to love and embrace my hair has really helped me with who I am and all the things that make me me.
In the self-love department, I feel like I've had a good grasp on who I am for a long time, but I feel like I would have wanted to tell myself that true beauty and true inner peace do come from the inside when you shake off all those external things that don't really define who you are. Clothes don't define who you are - they're an extension of who you are, but they don't define you. An accessory in your hair, a shoe, makeup, all of those things don't define us. It's who we are inside and how we treat other people. Especially being in the industry, sometimes that message can get blurred and cannot come across so easily.
I think I would've just told my younger self to not worry, don't sweat the small stuff, you'll be coming into your own, and you'll be coming into your power as a woman the more you grow and the more that you learn, and that it's going to be amazing. I'm still the same person to my core, but I know that 18-year-old Jordin couldn't mess with Jordin now.
xoN: In the entertainment industry specifically, how have conversations around natural hair evolved, and where can we see improvement?
JS: I have seen a ton of conversation about natural hair. There's tons of think pieces, there's clips, there's videos, there's hacks, there's all these different things on social media and all over. I think it's great that we're having that conversation so the youth can hear these conversations, see them, and realize that they're not alone and that we've all had to figure out our hair journeys together. On the other hand, I do feel like what we need more of is people who know how to do these types of hairstyles. It's very few and far between where you find somebody who can do what is asked for a character as an actress.
Then have somebody come in and try and do natural styles in the way that we know that they should look. I don't think that there is enough. Basically, we need more hands on deck. All hands on deck. We need more people who can do natural hair. I've got to give a shout-out to my girl Alicia, who did my hair while I did my Christmas movie (A Christmas Treasure) in Vancouver. She took such good care of my curls. They were beautiful. We had a plan where I wouldn't put so much heat on my hair so that my hair could still grow and look great. I really love her, so I want to give her a shout-out because she really is helping us girls feel like we know what we're doing with our hair when we come to set.
xoN: How do you include your hair into your self-care routine?
JS: To be honest with you, right now, for my self-care routine, I just need something that I don't have to think about. My hair is in a protective, braided style right now and I love it. I know if I need to glam it up a little bit I can. If I want to be casual, I can do that as well, but for my self-care and my mental right now, I need something that I don't need to think about and I can just get up and go. That's where I'm at right now.
For more of Jordin Sparks, follow her on Instagram @JordinSparks.
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Featured image courtesy of Cantu.
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
"They asked for body products and we wanted to make sure we listened. But also layering fragrance begins with the body routine." The body wash is $33, and the body lotion is $35. Keep reading below to hear more about Tabitha and Chance's new collection, their body rituals, and what makes their partnership successful.
Fridays with Tab and Chance body collection
Marcus Owens
xoNecole: How did you come up with the scents for the collection?
Tabitha Brown: We love warm scents that make you feel sexy and loved. [We’re] both fans of gourmand [scents], including bergamot, vanilla, tonka and chocolate.
xoN: If you could describe your working relationship in one word, what would it be and why?
Tabitha: It's our first time building a product line together and our first time working with fragrance. So having patience with the process and each other has been the best way to build.
xoN: What is your body care ritual?
Tabitha: Exfoliate with a scrub a few times a week, but using a moisturizing body wash daily. After a shower, I spray a body mist that compliments what scent I am choosing for the day. Most times vanilla mist wins because it’s a perfect base for layering. I then hydrate [my] skin with lotion. Then, once dressed, I layer my favorite fragrance, Her Business, first and then His Business on top.
Chance: [I’m] way more simple. Just body wash and lotion and then my cologne and I’m good to go.
xoN: We enjoy watching you two together online, whose idea was it to start 'Fridays with Tab & Chance'?
Tabitha: It actually happened by accident. Back in 2018, my fans had just been asking about how we met, so we did a video answering questions one Friday and people in the comments [asked], will y’all do it again next Friday? And so we did and the next thing you know Fridays with Tab & Chance was born.
xoN: In what other ways do you plan to expand Fridays? Restart the podcast? TV show?
Tabitha: We are working on a lifestyle content show vs the traditional Fridays podcast. More to come soon.
xoN: You do many things together, but what would you say is your favorite quality time activity and why?
Tabitha: We are really simple. We love watching movies or TV series together on the couch or in bed. It’s really one of our favorite things to do together.
xoN: What is your favorite thing about the other person?
Tabitha: I love that he makes me feel safe and how hard he works to be an amazing father.
Chance: I love that she is crazy enough to pursue her wildest dreams.
xoN: What is the key to a successful partnership in business and personal?
Tabitha: The key is knowing that you both are going to change, and giving each other grace, patience, and understanding during those changes.
See more on tabandchance.com.
Feature image Marcus Owens