Julius was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina in ‘94. Even though there are Christian elements to his music, he wants life, love & faith to be the sole focus of the music when you’re listenin’ & groovin’.
It’s one thing to hear a good voice, but when Julius Witherspoon sings or leads worship, you hear much more than his silky, smooth, captivating vocals—you get to hear his heart. Personal trials and challenges over recent years have refined him as both a musician and a vocalist, however, it is clear that he was strategically made and designed to become the incredibly gifted artist he is today. The raw passion he faithfully stewards, coupled with his evident humility sets him apart for such a time as this.
Starting Out
Julius “didn’t grow up in a musical family,” but his “church had a ton of musicians and a ton of singers” and he mentions that “they always had this inclusive choir where everybody sings.” Naturally, that drew him in and piqued his interest for the musical world at a very young age. It didn’t take long before he began to feel the call that the Lord wanted to use him in this capacity. He felt it early on, as he states that it was “probably around the time I knew I had a voice, which was probably around 6 or 7 years old…you hear these heavenly melodies in church and you just sit there as a kid and (think), ‘Oh my god, this is it!’”
God not only planted Julius in that musical, church environment, but He also raised him up in a good home that trained him up in the way he should go. Julius shares that “ultimately, growing up with wonderful parents” created a lasting impact on him. “Having me, first, hearing my mom sing (while) in the womb; hearing messianic worship throughout the house; hearing Integrity Music, you know, Ron Kenoly and Darlene Zschech and Alvin Slaughter and Don Moen—(hearing) voices like that kind of sparked something in me. Growing up, hearing talented musicians, talented singers, I knew that was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Kingdom Impact
Still, for Julius, it goes far beyond singing and playing music with excellence. There is a deep-rooted desire to intentionally impact lives within him that gives him the drive to continue serving with passion wherever God leads him. Currently, he serves as a Youth Worship Pastor at Daybreak Church in Carlsbad, California, where he has “been leading worship for over 2 years.” He exclaims, “It’s been a wonderful ride here so far; God’s been doing amazing things!” It hasn’t been without a fair share of sacrifices and ripe opportunities for obedience, however. Julius shares openly, “I kind of made a conscious decision to put some of the things I was doing aside to help build what God is doing here. Like, getting people out of desolate places or insecure places, to (help them) be who God called them to be.”
Julius has a burning desire to reach the hurting and the broken as well. With empathy, he talks about his heart in regards to “bridging the gap between the Church and the world.” He says, “I think there’s a lot of life that needs to happen, that needs to be expressed from the worship leader or from the person who is expressing God’s love on a platform like (you’d see) on Sunday. But, I want to touch something a little deeper. I heard it said like this; there’s a song we used to sing back in the old days that says, ‘My soul cries out, Hallelujah, thank God for saving me,’ but I feel like the song needs to be touched a little deeper. I guess, like, seeing the rough edges, not just the perfect side of things.”
Trials and Testimony
Having gone through his own dips and curves and unexpected turns, Julius understands the importance of transparency and healthy vulnerability, and what an encouraging impact honesty can bring. He shares some of his own experiences of loss and heartbreak that’ve shaped his heart and changed the trajectory of his life forever. He tells us, “I was in a relationship. Years before, I kept (telling) the Lord, ‘I want a wife.’ It’s almost like (it was) a baby asking for a car—don’t have the wherewithal or the legs or the arms to actually navigate it—still in the infant stage (asking for mature things). I was trying to navigate (the relationship) on the fly and learning how to do it, but I kept allowing things to get in the way, like, a lot of my personal sins infiltrated the relationship, just messing everything up. Instead of going to God with things like that, I turned to myself and she was on the throne of my heart instead of Him.
“After an ugly breakup with this particular person, I fell into depression; I fell into thoughts of suicide. And I was reminded (that) one of the commandments (is), ‘Don’t have any other gods before Me.’ You may not see that you are exalting this person. . .or thing. . .above Him, but He’ll let you know by letting that thing dissipate before your eyes. This whole time, God was jealous of me. He was after me, like, even the times that I was hurt. I didn’t know how to express my hurt and my fears and my down days, but I knew that He was there, shielding me from those thoughts about going in the kitchen or getting a knife or going somewhere to try to end it. I knew He was shielding me from all that because He knew I had purpose. Deep down inside, I knew I had purpose too. From 18 on, I knew then, this is what relationship looks like. . .once that “thing” is gone and all you see is Him, He shows you the things that are really valuable.”
Julius’ wisdom came with a cost from his own life lessons, but he is grateful for his newfound, ever-growing intimacy with the Lord nonetheless. The tenderizing of his own spirit and soul has given him the desire to reach people walking through similar obstacles and challenges. For anyone struggling, he hopes to help show the way by being a positive example through the music and lyrics he creates. “That’s why I make songs about relationships,” he says, “or songs about how to handle betrayal or how to handle this certain trial that you’re going through that you can’t seem to get out of and God helped you through it. And so when people hear it and when they see it, they’re touched by it, you know—that’s what I want to do. . .because God is home for me, I want to try my best to be a home for people that may have the orphan spirit, that may feel like they don’t belong. I want to let them know, like, you’re welcomed here. You’re welcome to have the necessary conversations to get you out of that orphanage or that desolate place that you may be.”
Clearly, Julius’ heart isn’t to simply entertain people on a surface level, he wants to be part of lasting, impactful, heart-change. He tells us, “I want to be the kind of leader that is resilient and perseveres through a lot. . .being a conduit or being a home is one of the most important things to me. . .and (that) God is being glorified.” Whether it’s through a conversation or through a song he’s inspired to write, Julius is driven to spread the same Good News that continues to refine and change his life for the better.
Check out his brand new song “Even If” at linktr.ee/julesspoonmusic. “Even If” was written right after the first round of the pandemic (2020). I came into a new year (2021) trying to figure out my sound as well as my life. The world was going crazy w/ Covid, people passing away left & right, my uncle & my grandpa had passed before 2020 was up. I was sitting alone at the computer, at my best friend’s house (Chancy) & I had all those thoughts culminating & started to write based out of the scripture (Isaiah 40:8, NLT), “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” And, so I began to say it in a way that’s groovy but also encouraging. “He’s enough even when we don’t have enough, He’ll be there even if chaos is happening.”
Content note: this piece references thoughts of suicide as part of Julius’ testimony of recovery. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone — reach out to someone you trust or a crisis line in your area.