Faith, Legacy and The Power of Devotion with Cece Winans, Multi-Grammy Award Winning Gospel Music Superstar

When CeCe Winans stepped onto the stage at the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival in 2023, something shifted.

It wasn’t just the music; it was the healing feeling.

At Pigeon Island National Landmark, a place already layered with history, her voice seemed to settle over the audience in a way that felt… sacred. You could sense it in the stillness. People weren’t just listening—they were receiving. And when she left the stage, everyone walked away with something intangible, but deeply felt.

CeCe Winans is the most awarded female gospel artist of all time—18 GRAMMY® Awards, 34 nominations, 29 Dove Awards, and 15 Stellar Awards. She has sold over 17 million records worldwide, performed for presidents, at the White House, and even before Pope John Paul II. But beyond all of that, what stays with you is her spirit—steady, grounded, and unmistakably real.

Hanna: Your work has touched my life—and so many others.

I remember seeing Oprah Winfrey singing Believe For It over Thanksgiving, and something about that moment moved me deeply. I went straight to YouTube, listened on repeat, and for nearly three months it became part of my mornings.

And then, during that very time, you came to Saint Lucia, and I found myself meeting you backstage at Kingdom Night. It felt like one of those rare, perfectly aligned moments.

So first, thank you for your voice, your consistency, and for continuing to share your gift with the world.

At this stage in your journey, what would you say are the three most important factors that have shaped your success, both in your career and in your family life?

Cece: Well, firstly, the first and foremost is God.  He is who he is, and he's faithful and his promises are true. So first by far is the goodness in the grace of God. Number two would just be my relationship with him.

The main thing in my life is to have my relationship with Jesus, because that keeps everything else in place.  The third thing [would be]would probably go to the family. I'm in the gospel music scene because of [them].

My parents raised us in church and my brothers, the Winans, recorded before me. Andraé Crouch gave them their first chance, and they've have been recording ever since.

And my husband, Alvin—we’ve been married almost 40 years. He has supported me 200 percent. When you’re constantly moving and traveling, you need your home to be a place of peace.

Hanna: In your book Believe For It, you share the story of how you and your husband were led to found your church—and how it all began so naturally, right in your living room.

Do you believe we each have a calling or a kind of destiny—and that God was always leading you toward that path?

Cece: Yes, I do believe that.

I was with Joyce Meyer recently, and she was talking about how many people get so anxious trying to figure out their calling. But the truth is, we are all already called.

When you live according to God’s word—when you allow it to guide you—it becomes a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.

You don’t have to force it. You just have to be. Stand where you are, and the doors will open.

Hanna: What are some of the challenges you’ve had to navigate as both a female artist and a founder?

Cece: Wow, I mean, I think overcoming challenges of racism that's been a part of our journey.I think the challenge of a female artist is being a mom and being a wife. The challenge that any working mother will have, you know, you have to leave your children and to make sure you have the right people who are helping you with your children. 

Hanna: You returned to touring (in 2023) nationally with the Believe For It tour after nearly ten years. What was that experience like for you?

Cece: Well, the physical part of touring is not the same as what it was years ago, I I used to do probably five or six concerts, now we're gonna do three a week.

So, I had to work out and you know, really get that stamina back,  just so I could do what I knew God wanted to do through me.

The blessing of the whole tour is that people came, and they came hungry. They came ready to see him, yes, Lord. It's been pretty amazing to see the love that people have for him (God). 

Hanna: In your book Believe For It. You talk about passing on faith from one generation to the next. What does FAITH mean to you? 

Cece: Faith, I mean, is having belief in God Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

To have faith in God is to know that you have a foundation that is unshakable. I know  I'm strong in my faith, because of those who went before me.

The community of believers deposits that faith in me. It's been my leading guiding light through life's challenges. 

Hanna: You hosted two successful GENERATIONS Women Conferences. Where did this idea of Generations come from?

Cece: I realized that I wanted to put faith in my children. We've always needed him but when you look at the times that we're living in today, and what they have at their fingertips and now I have grandchildren, I'm so grateful that the word of God says he's a god to every generation.

God is not nervous, but we have to do our part. I don't have to wonder what holiness looks like, because my parents lived it in front of me.

It is one thing to teach a person something and another thing to live it in front of them. I have strived to do that for my children. That is the whole message of generations.

I wanted to remind everybody that we don't retire from the kingdom of God. God has use for all of us. Our culture tells us that as we get older, we lose our value. The word of God tells me that as I get older, I become more balanced. 

Hanna: The world has changed quite a lot. How do you see the journey of passing on faith evolving while adapting to a changing, high-tech world? 

Cece:  Technology cannot take the place of the power of a praying woman.

I think we are so crucial to God's plan. We are nurturers by nature. When I look at the miracle of what a woman does and what she's able to do, I'm just like, ‘Oh, if I could just wash your feet every time I see you’.

The man is the head, but we set the atmosphere. It’s a beautiful thing to be a woman of God. We play a very important part in passing the baton to our sons and our daughters.

We don't understand the power that we really possess when we line up with God's way for our lives. 

Hanna: I loved it when you shared in your book that God does not specialize in retirement but rather in restructuring. Restructuring and change in general can cause fear and anxiety. How can we cultivate it in these often uncertain times? 

Cece: You know what, as I get older, I don't serve God the way I did before. It changes, but the message is still the same.

The work is still the same. You're building the kingdom of God and you're building it in one person at a time.

Hanna: What is your favorite bible quote for getting through challenging times?

Cece: My favorite is easy, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ 

Yeah. When I was in those tight moments of having small kids and being a wife, I was like, ‘Lord, You give me the strength. You give me wisdom, or I can't do it.’ You know? So, that has been one of my all-time favorite scriptures. ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ 

Interview by Hanna Fitz, Founder of Cultured Life