Meleasa Houghton is a renowned gospel artist. She sang and wrote songs with the Israel and Race group for several years, earning a Dove Gospel Music Award and a Grammy nomination.
She was married to Grammy Award winner, Gospel music artist Isreal Houghton for over 20 years before the divorce – they have 3 children together. Meleasa has contributed to various popular gospel songs including Our Presence, Jesus in the Center, Rez Power, Your Presence Is Heaven, among others.
Meleasa Houghton – Biography
Meleasa Houghton was born in the United States on March 1, 1964. She dedicated her life to Christ and the ministry of the gospel at a tender age. It was while working in the Christian ministry that she came to meet her future husband Israel.
While details about her family and early life have been kept out of the media, Meleasa has shared some glimpses of her childhood. She recently thanked her mother on social media for raising her to the path of God and teaching her to be strong through her actions. It is evident that his family was a close-knit Christian.
Meleasa met Israel during her ministry in Pittsburgh and the couple began a relationship. After a whirlwind romance, they married in 1994, building a home based on trust, mutual respect and love for Christ. During their marriage, they had 3 children together – Mariah Houghton (their first daughter who married her longtime boyfriend (Byron Rideau), as well as Israel II Houghton and Milan Houghton.
After her marriage to Israel, she became a part of his band Israel and Breed where she officially started her gospel music career. Her commitment and dedication paid off as she won the Gove Music Artist Gospel Award in 2015 for the ‘Traditional Gospel Song of the Year’ category. Meleasa was also Grammy nominated for “Best Gospel Performance/Song of 2016. She has contributed some popular songs including “Chasing Me Down”, “How Awesome Is Our God”, “This Isn’t is not finished”, “Alpha and Omega” among others.
Meleasa Houghton is very active on Instagram with over 12,000 followers. It seems that the musical gene runs in the family as she shared videos of her talented children singing and playing different instruments.
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Divorce and affairs
Meleasa had been married to Israel Houghton for over 20 years. Israel is a popular cult leader, songwriter and music producer. He has released over 13 albums since 1997, including 11 under his personal music label. He has been nominated for many prestigious awards, among which he has won 2 Stellar awards, 6 Grammy awards and 11 GMA Dove awards.
Isreal and Meleasa eventually called it quits with Israel openly confessing that “he sinned in his marriage.” Although he did not specify the nature of his “sin”, it has been speculated and concluded that he had been unfaithful to his wife. They separated in 2014 and their divorce was finalized on February 22, 2016.
The confession of Israel has generated much debate within the evangelical Christian community. He has been suspended indefinitely as worship leader of his local congregation – Lakewood Church led by Joel Osteen. People were outraged that a respected gospel artist could get caught up in such a scandal.
Israel comes across as a devout believer and people wondered how he could have fallen victim to such a life. It seems the first step to healing and forgiveness was to come out pure with what he had done.
Meleasa didn’t say much throughout the day. In a scandalous and sordid affair, Israel came out to say that they maintained their friendship even after the divorce. Israel appears to have found love again as he set out to meet TV personality and singer Adrienne Bailon. They got married on November 11, 2016.
Meleasa, on the other hand, seems to be focused on her career, her children, and her relationship with God after her divorce. It is not sure if she is currently dating anyone as she has not shared any information or news regarding her private life.
Facts About Israel Houghton’s Ex-Wife
• Meleasa is 5ft 6in tall and weighs around 60kg
• She doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter account. She only has one Instagram account.
• Meleasa’s love for her daughter Mariah Houghton can be seen in how often she posts about her on her Instagram page.
• She was able to garner an estimated net worth of $1 million during her admired career.