Smokie Norful talks about his balancing act

Smokie Norful arrived on the gospel scene in 2002 to the tune of "I Need You Now" and has gone on to win Dove, Stellar and Grammy awards for his soulful singing style and contemporary grooves. He's also been raising a family, is a church pastor and trying to balance his schedule.

The pressures and responsibilities of being a pastor and a recording artist pushed Norful to a crossroads just as he was working on his latest album, "Smokie Norful Live." Norful talked about his challenges and how he's been able to overcome them.

AP: How do you find time to write?

Norful: You can't find it — I can't find it, I have to make it. I have to create it. For this project I had to shut down. I just locked myself downstairs for a couple of weeks, I looked like a vagabond for real!

AP: How do you measure the effectiveness of your singing versus your preaching?

Norful: With the artistry I'm really dependent upon sales as a marker, e-mails, feedback. As a pastor it's more immediate because if I'm helping you and your son, and your son is on the brink of going to prison, and taking the wrong turn in life, and I see him turn around and I'm able to walk him through that process as a pastor, of course I get immediate gratification.

AP: Did you ever consider choosing between pastoring or recording?

Norful: Before I did this project I was in a very (similar) crossroads. ... I had a decision to make. Am I going to continue to do this?

AP: Were you nearly done with music?

Norful: Not with music because it's a passion. I would still do it but, as an artist, and in this way — full time and on the run, doing these interviews, being away from home and church and family — I was really there (considering leaving). I started telling my church: "Pastor's backing out of the industry." And everybody, my parents were like "... Really be prayerful about that because we know that since you were born you have been called for this." So eventually I came to a place where I said "OK, everybody's not crazy, maybe I really need to rethink this thing."

AP: What are some of the challenges to your integrity as a recording artist versus a pastor?

Norful: I became jaded. And I really had to break out of that cycle. Once I got exposed or reminded of what real ministry looks like, it made the facade of the industry just, almost repulsive to me.

AP: What do you mean by facade?

Norful: I mean from a consumer base the industry is just all glitz, all glamour, all TV, lights, camera, action, "Ooh! you got a publicist and a stylist, and you flying jets, and you fly first class.' That's a facade. The real deal is, there are some hurting people that need the music that we produce.

AP: So how did you break out of it?

Norful: I yielded to God and said yes. And you can't do ministry and not yourself be subject to your message. And that's a message of, "There is therefore now no condemnation." Not to this industry not to people. Don't give up — you're the hope, you can't give up.