Jamal Roberts's Family Was a Huge Factor in His Successful Singing Career

Although winning American Idol does not guarantee you a successful singing career, it's certainly a step in the right direction. Jamal Roberts, the latest singer to make it all the way to the end of the competition and emerge victorious, celebrated his victory with his family around him.

Following his victory in the competition, though, many wanted to know more about Jamal's life and where he comes from. Here's what we know about his family, and specifically his parents.

Not much is known about Jamal Roberts's parents, but we do know that they raised him in church. Even before his career on American Idol, Jamal was performing on the gospel circuit at locations around the country.

He also said that his grandparents were the ones who encouraged him to sing.

“I started singing at the age of 2. My grandparents found out I could sing, and I started singing in church and [covering] the Temptations and Michael Jackson," he told Billboard.

"I had a granddaddy on my dad’s side who was a bishop, and a grandad on my mom’s side was a deacon, so I was in church every time the door opened. I was the usher, and I was in the choir, and I used to play the drums," he continued.

Jamal has said less about his own parents, but it seems like both his mother and father are still in his life, at least to some extent.

Jamal is also a parent himself, and had two kids coming into American Idol. He's now a father to a third child who was born near the end of the competition. In speaking with Billboard, Jamal said that he had no regrets about having kids even though he isn't married.

"Some people say don’t have kids before you’re married. Growing up in the church, of course, we knew to be married before we had kids," he said. "I wasn’t, but being a dad is literally the best thing that ever happened to me."

"It calmed me down and gave me a better look at things and actually having girls teaches you how to treat a woman. They’re very sensitive, especially with their daddy. So you learn how to treat this one without making this one feel jealous," he explained.

Fatherhood certainly seems to be an important part of Jamal's identity, and his success on American Idol should allow him to provide even better for them.

Jamal is the first Black man to win American Idol in more than 20 years, since Reuben Studdard did it all the way back in 2003. Although he's been performing all his life, Jamal's American Idol victory could propel him to a new level of stardom.

Thus far, he's been able to pick and choose which elements of his life he wants to discuss, and his parents haven't been on that list. That all may change as his name continues to become more and more well-known.