Meleasa Houghton is an American gospel singer and songwriter known for her work with Israel & New Breed. She is also known as the former wife of gospel singer and worship leader Israel Houghton.
Meleasa spent many years working in gospel music and has writing credits on several worship songs. She and Israel were married for more than 20 years and have three children together: Mariah, Israel Jr., and Milan Houghton.
Meleasa Houghton’s Profile Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Meleasa Houghton |
| Date of birth | Reported as March 1, 1964 |
| Age | Reportedly 62 in 2026 |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Gospel singer and songwriter |
| Known for | Israel & New Breed and worship songwriting |
| Former husband | Israel Houghton |
| Marriage | 1994–2016 |
| Children | Mariah, Israel Jr., and Milan Houghton |
| Music group | Israel & New Breed |
| Ministry | New Breed Ministries |
| Notable songs | To Worship You I Live, Cover the Earth, How Awesome Is Our God |
| Grammy record | One nomination |
| Social media |
Who Is Meleasa Houghton?
Meleasa Houghton is a gospel singer, songwriter, and composer. Much of her music career is connected with Israel & New Breed, the worship group led by her former husband, Israel Houghton.
She has songwriting credits on worship music released over many years. She was also involved with New Breed Ministries during its early years.
Outside music, Meleasa is widely known because of her marriage to Israel. They built both a family and a music ministry together before ending their marriage in 2016.
Meleasa Houghton’s Age and Birthday
Meleasa Houghton’s date of birth is widely reported online as March 1, 1964. Based on that date, she would be 62 years old in 2026.
However, detailed public records confirming her birth date are limited. Her exact birthplace has also not been reliably established in the available information.
Early Life, Parents, and Education
Very little reliable information is publicly available about Meleasa’s childhood.
The names of her parents and siblings are not well documented in major public sources. There is also little confirmed information about where she grew up.
Details about her school or college education have not been reliably reported either. Most of the public information about Meleasa begins with her work in Christian ministry and gospel music.
Meleasa Houghton’s Gospel Music Career
Meleasa built her public career through gospel and worship music.
She became closely involved with Israel Houghton and the music ministry that developed around Israel & New Breed. Her work included singing and songwriting.
Her composer credits are connected with several Israel & New Breed projects. These include Real, Live from Another Level, Alive in South Africa, A Timeless Christmas, A Deeper Level: Live, and The Power of One.
Her writing work also continued across later projects connected with the group.
Rather than building a large solo career, Meleasa became best known for contributing to worship songs performed by Israel & New Breed and other Christian artists.
New Breed Ministries
Meleasa was involved in the early development of New Breed Ministries in the 1990s.
The ministry brought together singers and musicians who served in their own churches while also working together in worship ministry.
This work became closely connected with Israel & New Breed. The group developed a sound that combined gospel and contemporary worship with other musical influences.
Meleasa’s songwriting became an important part of her work within this music and ministry setting.
Songs Written by Meleasa Houghton
Meleasa has writing or co-writing credits on several worship songs.
One of her best-known credits is To Worship You I Live. She shares the writing credit with Israel Houghton.
She is also credited as a writer on Cover the Earth, along with Israel Houghton and Cindy Cruse Ratcliff.
Other songs connected with her songwriting work include:
- To Worship You I Live
- Cover the Earth
- Te Amo
- Alpha and Omega
- Others
- How Awesome Is Our God
Several of these songs became part of Christian worship music beyond their original recordings.
To Worship You I Live
To Worship You I Live is one of the songs most closely connected with Meleasa’s songwriting career.
Meleasa and Israel Houghton share the writing credit for the song. It became a well-known worship song and has also been recorded and performed by other Christian artists and worship groups.
The song remains one of the clearest examples of Meleasa’s contribution to modern worship music.
How Awesome Is Our God and Her Grammy Nomination
Another important song in Meleasa’s career is How Awesome Is Our God.
The song was written by Meleasa Houghton, Israel Houghton, and Neville Diedericks. A live recording by Israel & New Breed featured gospel singer Yolanda Adams.
The song received a nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016 in the Best Gospel Performance/Song category.
Meleasa therefore has a Grammy nomination connected with her songwriting work. She is sometimes described online as a Grammy winner, but her known Grammy record is a nomination rather than a win.
The song was also recognized at the GMA Dove Awards. It received the Traditional Gospel Song of the Year honor at the 2015 awards.
Meleasa Houghton and Israel Houghton
Meleasa’s personal and professional lives were closely connected with Israel Houghton for many years.
Israel is an American gospel singer, songwriter, producer, and worship leader. He is best known as the leader of Israel & New Breed and has received multiple major music awards during his career.
Meleasa and Israel reportedly met before marrying in 1994.
In a 2007 interview with Ebony, Israel spoke about meeting Meleasa and said he knew very quickly that he wanted her to become his wife. According to reports from the interview, they married about four months after meeting.
Their marriage lasted for more than two decades. During that time, they worked together in music and ministry and raised their children.
Meleasa and Israel Houghton’s Divorce
Meleasa and Israel’s marriage eventually ended after a long period of marital problems.
In 2016, Israel publicly announced that their marriage had ended. He said they had been separated for some time before the divorce became public.
Israel also publicly accepted responsibility for failures during the marriage and asked people to respect the family’s privacy.
He later explained that the divorce process took years. The couple reportedly spent about five years separated while dealing with the end of their marriage and considering how the changes would affect their children.
Their divorce was finalized in 2016, ending a marriage that had lasted more than 20 years.
How Many Children Does Meleasa Houghton Have?
Meleasa Houghton has three children with Israel Houghton.
They are:
- Mariah Houghton
- Israel Houghton Jr.
- Milan Houghton
Their children grew up around music and Christian ministry. Some have also developed interests in music, writing, and fashion.
Meleasa has shared photos and videos of her children on social media, including childhood pictures and family music performances.
Who Is Mariah Houghton?
Mariah Houghton is Meleasa and Israel’s daughter.
She has been connected with fashion and design. Reports have also linked her professionally with LA VOUTE, the fashion and accessories business associated with her stepmother, Adrienne Bailon.
Mariah has also appeared in music connected with her father’s work.
Compared with her famous father, she keeps much of her personal life outside the public spotlight.
Who Is Israel Houghton Jr.?
Israel Houghton Jr. is Meleasa’s son. He is also known as Sonny Houghton.
Like his parents, Sonny has been involved in music. He has been described as the lead singer of the band The CoSMiX.
Meleasa has shared videos of her son playing guitar and performing music with family members.
Who Is Milan Houghton?
Milan Houghton, also known as Milan Lillie Houghton, is another daughter of Meleasa and Israel.
She has been described as a writer and also has an interest in music.
Meleasa has shared videos showing Milan singing with family members, including her brother Sonny and their cousin Scott Dozier IV.
Meleasa Houghton as a Mother
Family is a regular part of Meleasa’s public social media presence.
She has shared older photos of her children as well as more recent family moments. She has also posted videos of her children playing instruments and singing together.
Her posts provide some of the limited public information available about her life after her marriage to Israel ended.
Israel Houghton’s Other Children
Israel Houghton also has children outside his marriage to Meleasa.
Public reports have mentioned his son Jordan, who has also pursued music. Jordan is not one of Meleasa’s three children.
Israel later started a new family with his second wife, Adrienne Bailon. They welcomed their son Ever James in 2022.
These children are part of Israel’s wider family but are not Meleasa Houghton’s children.
Israel Houghton and Adrienne Bailon
After his marriage to Meleasa ended, Israel began a relationship with television personality, singer, and actress Adrienne Bailon.
Questions about the timing of their relationship received media attention. Adrienne publicly stated that Israel was already divorced when they became romantically involved.
Israel and Adrienne later married. They welcomed their first child together, Ever James, through a surrogate in 2022.
Meleasa has largely stayed away from public discussion about Israel’s later marriage.
What Is Meleasa Houghton Doing Now?
Meleasa keeps a much lower public profile than Israel Houghton.
There is limited reliable reporting about her current professional activities. She has not built a widely documented solo recording career in recent years.
Her public presence has instead included social media posts about her children and family.
Her older songwriting work also remains available through Israel & New Breed recordings and other worship music releases.
Is Meleasa Houghton Married Now?
There is no reliable public information confirming that Meleasa remarried after her divorce from Israel Houghton.
There is also no well-supported public information about a current partner.
She appears to keep her relationships and private life away from extensive media coverage.
Meleasa Houghton’s Net Worth
Meleasa Houghton’s personal net worth is not reliably known.
Some websites provide estimates, but there is not enough trustworthy financial information to confirm a specific figure.
Her known professional work includes singing, songwriting, composer credits, and her years of involvement with Israel & New Breed.
Meleasa Houghton on Social Media
Meleasa has maintained a presence on Instagram under the name @meleasahoughton.
Her posts have included family photos, memories of her children when they were younger, and videos of family members performing music.
She has generally kept much of her personal life private compared with other members of the Houghton family.
Facts About Meleasa Houghton
- Meleasa Houghton is an American gospel singer and songwriter.
- Her birth date is widely reported as March 1, 1964.
- She is best known for her work connected with Israel & New Breed.
- She was involved with New Breed Ministries during its early years.
- She has writing credits on several Christian worship songs.
- She co-wrote To Worship You I Live with Israel Houghton.
- Her other songwriting credits include Cover the Earth and How Awesome Is Our God.
- How Awesome Is Our God earned a Grammy nomination.
- Her official Grammy record is a nomination, not a win.
- She married Israel Houghton in 1994.
- Their marriage lasted for more than 20 years.
- Their divorce was finalized in 2016.
- Meleasa and Israel have three children together.
- Their children are Mariah, Israel Jr. (Sonny), and Milan Houghton.
- Some of their children have also been involved in music and other creative work.
- Meleasa has shared family photos and performances on Instagram.
- There is no reliable public confirmation that she remarried after her divorce.
- Her personal net worth has not been reliably confirmed.
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