Known as a singer with chart-topping hits like “No Air” and “One Step At a Time,” and as the winner of 2007’s American Idol, Jordin Sparks let fans see another side of her during this year’s Dancing With the Stars. Paired with professional dancer Brandon Armstrong – who Sparks calls her “brother for life now”– the singer made it to Week 7 before being eliminated. With no prior formal dancing experience under her belt, she understood the competition would be a challenge, but she never expected it to be so intense.
“I knew it was going to be tough because it’s something I don’t do, but I did not know it was going to be as all-consuming as it was,” Sparks told SheKnows at the red carpet for the 2022 Footwear News Achievement Awards. “I couldn’t think about anything but the show.”
At the event, Sparks looked radiant as she paired a black and white strapless Mnm Couture gown with comfortable Merrell sneakers. The star also wore her curly locks in a messy bun and went glowy glam with a brown smokey eye and nude lips.
Having just gone through the show, Sparks, who recently released her new single “Stop This Feeling,” also shared advice for future contestants. “I feel like if you’re going to do it, try to clear your schedule so you can just focus on the show so you don’t over-stress yourself,” she suggested, noting that the one time she had to fly out of Los Angeles she “thought I was going to lose my mind.”
She added, “It was fun, I really enjoyed challenging myself and expanding my brain in that way.”
During her fourth week on the show – aka Disney night – Sparks danced to the touching song “Remember Me” from Disney’s Coco in dedication for her 4-year-old son DJ. And, as it turns out, the number was as emotional for Sparks as it was for the viewers.
“I really wanted to be around for that night and so they were asking me what songs I would want to do and I was like, ‘I want to something that DJ loves’ and Coco is the song,” Sparks recalled. “I sing it to him every single night and it was [his] first time actually coming to see me live and so doing that song and having him there was a really emotional moment, I was just so overwhelmed.”
During the special moment, DJ watched his mom in the audience with his dad and Sparks’ husband Dana Isaiah. “My husband was there and DJ was there, the song is playing and I’m dancing, this is a lot of things happening all at once,” Sparks said.
Though DJ was supportive of his mom going on the show, Sparks also shared he wasn’t too happy about having to divide his time with her. “I think really he just couldn’t wait until I got home from rehearsal,” she said. “He’d go, ‘Mommy, do you have to do Dancing of the Stars today?’ and I’d be like, ‘Yeah, buddy’ and he’d be like, ‘Okay, but I’ll see you later.’”
She added, “He was good though, but when it was done he was very happy to have mommy home.”
Now that the show is over, and Sparks has not only released her new single but also her new Christmas album Cider & Hennessy, she and the family are ready for a well-deserved rest. We’re wishing this adorable family of three all the best!
Before you go, click here to see more celeb moms who put their careers on hold to stay home with their kids.
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