Israel Houghton was born on 19 May 1971, in Oceanside, California USA, to a white mother and a Jamaican father. He is a Christian music singer, songwriter, producer and worship leader, most frequently credited as Israel & New Breed.
So just how wealthy is Israel Houghton now? According to sources, Houghton has acquired wealth of over $8 million, as of early 2017, his net worth established largely through his involvement in music.
Israel Houghton Net Worth $8 Million
Houghton grew up in an Hispanic neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona, along with his three half-siblings. As his parents separated before his birth, his mother eventually married a white man, so he grew up as the only black in the family, which often caused him to struggle with his identity and diversity, due to his bi-racial background putting him in an ‘other’ category.
One thing that helped Houghton to cope with his racial identity was music. He became involved in music when he was five years old, playing drums at church. At 13, his family moved to New Mexico, and he then learned to play guitar, and eventually started working full-time playing for churches.
At 19, he left college and became involved full-time in worship ministry. In 1995 Houghton formed his New Breed Ministries with his wife and a group of acclaimed musicians and singers who also serve as ministers in their churches. Two years later he released his debut album, “Whisper It Loud”, and his music career was officially launched. He went on to release 11 more solo as well as group albums in the following years, reaching a high level of popularity and collecting a great fan base. His net worth began to grow.
All of Houghton’s albums have seen great commercial successes, especially “Jesus At The Center”, “Power Of One” and “New Seasons” which dominated the charts, as well as his Gold-selling “Alive In South Africa” and “Live From Another Level”, enabling the singer to reach a high level of fame and to amass significant wealth. In addition to much critical acclaim, his music earned him a number of Grammy, Dove and other awards and honors too.
Houghton’s music has been considered a worship movement crossing all cultural, generational and denominational boundaries, defying categorization and drawing together people of all races, ages and cultures through worship. It is a mix of reggae, jazz, rock and gospel styles.
In addition to singing, he has also collaborated with and produced records for other artists. In 2003 he produced Michael Gungor’s album “Bigger Than My Imagination”, which is credited for bringing Houghton into national spotlight. The album was named ‘one of the years finest worship albums’ in Christianity Today Review.
Houghton is the National Director of Music and Worship for Champions for Christ. He also serves as a regular worship leader at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.
Being a singer, composer and producer of great capacity and at the same time leading a worship, has enabled Houghton to establish himself as a true star, and to earn an incredible fortune.
Speaking about his private life, Houghton has been married twice; in 1994 he married Meleasa Houghton, with whom he has three children – the couple divorced in 2016. Later that year he married singer, actress and television personality Adrienne Bailon.
