Yolanda Adams Opens Up About Restraint-Free Childhood

Yolanda Adams will not be policed with her outfits despite being a gospel singer.

Several celebrities raised in a faith-based household have said there were rules against clothes they could wear or music they could listen to. But Adams, who was born in Houston, Texas, says she wasn’t raised in a household where those kinds of stipulations existed.

In a Sept. 22 interview with People, the 63-year-old said, “Because of the way I was raised in this very free-thinking family where everybody had their own voice and everybody had their own talents, I didn’t feel any need to be anybody other than Yolanda. And it was very evident, not just in the music, but in the fashions as well.”

She added, “Because I do not have the typical gospel singer body, I think that it was easy for me to just pick out what I wanted and then just wear what I wanted. Again, I didn’t grow up in a household where we had stipulations on what we could wear, what we couldn’t wear, what we could listen to, what we couldn’t listen to in my family.”

Yolanda Adams attends “Kingdom Business” Private Screening at NeueHouse Los Angeles on May 19, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty

Standing at 6-feet tall, Adams has a modelesque build and one that can be hard to dress in a way that can appease gospel fans. She even drew criticism for her seventh studio album cover, where her choice of dress covered everything but her neck and upper chest. The “Open My Heart” singer graced the 2001 Believe cover with a simple, long sleeve, turquoise blue dress, and despite most of her body being clothed, fans still had something to say. Their criticisms are something Adams still remembers 23 years later.

“I didn’t know there was a thing of ‘you can’t wear this’ and ‘you shouldn’t wear that’ and ‘you need to cover your head’ and stuff like that,” said the four-time Grammy-winning artist. “So when people started saying, ‘I don’t know about that [dress],’ well…okay. And now all of a sudden, these are the same people who are now fans. And they’ll say ‘I’ve been with her since day one.’ No, you didn’t. Cut it out. Because I remember!”

Regardless of the comments, Adams is grateful for the free-thinking household she was raised in. It allowed her to view people for their spirit rather than their appearance.

Yolanda Adams performs at the 2018 BET Awards. Source: Variety / Getty

“I thank God for the way I was raised because I don’t have those restraints and I don’t put those restraints on anybody else,” she said. “When I see you, I see this loving spirit. And that’s the way I want to live my life.”

This isn’t the singer’s first time addressing this scrutinization. In 2013, she defended Mary Mary group member, Erica Campbell, after she received backlash for wearing a fitted white dress.

Adams told Think Positive magazine, “I know for a fact that Mary Mary — because I’ve known them for years — they don’t try to be sexual. Some of the things that they want to wear, they’re in style.”

She even used herself as an example after facing similar criticisms in her past. “I’m tall. I’m thin, but I have hips,” she said. “A gown may graze me in a place where somebody may find it offensive, but it’s not sexual. That was not my intent. We can’t walk around with sheets on and moomoos. Then, they’ll talk about [that]. You have to take criticism with a grain of salt because you’re never going to please everybody.”

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