Israel Houghton is a Grammy award-winning American gospel recording artist, songwriter, producer and worship leader. He’s also a highly respected composer and multi-instrumentalist. Houghton formed Israel & New Breed – a music group and ministry organization – in the mid 90s.

The ensemble was created in 1995 to be exact, and their debut album, Whisper it Loud, was released two years later, in 97. Their releases: New Season, Power of One, and Jesus at the Center topped the Billboard charts, while Alive In South Africa, and Live From Another Level ended up selling gold. Equally noteworthy is the fact that a majority of Israel Houghton‘s LPs were released via his own record label, Integrity.

Houghton is considered one of the most influential tastemakers, because of his ability to add zest and energy to contemporary gospel. His music is known for its cross-cultural style of gospel fused with jazz, rock, and even reggae. Furthermore, he has been honored with a number of prestigious awards, including Dove Awards, Stellar Awards and, as mentioned earlier, Grammy Award.