Worship Singer and Violinist Jean Watson Is Proof That Dreams Do Come True
Jean Watson grew up in a musical family playing the violin throughout her youth. It was her childhood dream to have a career in classical music. Jean professionally played the violin in college, but a few life decisions seemed to steer her from her musical ambitions. “I thought I was going to have a career in classical music, but it didn’t work out exactly the way I saw it. Instead of fulfilling her childhood musical dreams, Jean found herself a single mother of four kids living at the poverty level. “I felt very hopeless and depressed because I knew that I was the one who steered off the path that I felt God had for me.” Feeling she was at a low point in her life, Jean began crying out to God. “I saw my Bible lying beside my bed. I opened it up and saw Psalm 116:4, which just said, oh God save me. And so I prayed that prayer, and then a series of miracles began happening.”
Jean’s first miracle began with a phone call. “The phone rang, and I picked it up. A man on the line asked me my name and if I played the violin. He said he had heard my name mentioned in a restaurant the night before and had gone through the phone book calling all of the Watson’s until he found one that played the violin.” Jean continues, “I was very surprised because I hadn’t played the violin in a long time. So I couldn’t understand why he would or anyone would even know that.” The man on the line was the concertmaster of the local symphony and wanted to hear her play. It is this door that ushered Jean into playing the violin professionally again.
Another miracle Jean recalls that happened not long after receiving a call from the concertmaster was when her landlord overheard her singing. “He was moved by the sound of my voice and encouraged me to record. He actually gave me back my rent money and with that money, I made a recording, gave it away to anyone who would listen. I kept recording and eventually, my recordings were heard over in Europe, and I started receiving invitations to sing and speak, not only in the United States but also in other countries around the world.” That was the beginning of a new life for Jean. “God heard my prayer and used my mistakes to become something that He could use for His glory.”
Now the classically-trained singer, violinist, speaker, and writer, inspires her audience to live a lifestyle of worship regardless of their circumstances. She connects with the listener at a heart level through her testimony and fresh perspectives from the Word of God. Based in Michigan, Jean plays violin with the Kalamazoo Symphony and maintains a full-time speaking and performing schedule worldwide in concert halls, churches, coffeehouses, prisons, and homeless shelters.
When Jean ministers to others through music, she describes the experience as feeling God moving through her. “It’s very strange,” she says. “When I’m singing, especially when I’m recording, it feels like God is coming out of my mouth. And I feel so connected with the Lord and with heaven, whether through the violin or my voice; it’s just an extraordinary time of connection and worship for me.” What Jean is talking about can very much be seen in her music. I had the opportunity to see Jean in action via YouTube playing Carol of The Bells in Northern Ireland, and I can only imagine what the live experience must feel like. Jean briefly recounts her experience. “I was over there in September, and we tried to create a Christmassy feel, so the videographer said, let’s film at night in the woods with what he called fairy lights. I think it turned out very beautiful, even though it was done in September!”
Jean feels a particular calling to the nation of Ireland, where she hosts a daily radio show on United Christian Broadcasting Radio Ireland. Jean recalls as a little girl dreaming of going to Ireland. ”I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland and was fascinated with that country for some weird reason.” She recalls making a picture of Ireland in her ninth-grade social studies class. “I still have that picture, and it was a picture of a dream. I just wanted to go to that place. And when I was going through that difficult time in my life that I shared earlier, I remember that picture and I thought, you know, if I die and I don’t get there, I know I will have missed something that God had for me. So I began to pray that God would open the door for me to go to Ireland.”
It took several years, but God answered Jean’s prayer. Jean eventually met an Irish pastor who helped her get into Ireland. “When I got there, it was like stepping into an actual dream. It was the right time for that nation and me. The Irish people responded to my music and my message. Now once a week by radio, Jean speaks to the nation of Ireland. ‘I get to inspire them with little messages from my own life,” Jean says.
Jean is an example that dreams do come true. “Maybe someone is reading this interview and feeling like I did back in the day. You have a dream that you’ve had since childhood, and it’s something that you really want to do, yet it doesn’t look like that’s possible. I want to encourage that person by saying, surrender your life to God right where you are and say, Lord, I’m here. Say yes to Him at this moment. I really believe that He can bring dead things to life, and you just never know how He’s going to bring that dream to pass when we keep our hearts submitted to him. So pray, do what I did, just pray and watch God move. It’s going to be amazing.”
Jean is currently rounding off her 11th studio album with CCM veteran Billy Smiley to be released in early 2022. It is Jean’s heart that in her music and words, people will hear the voice of God and become all He has made them.
To learn more about Jean visit her website: www.jeanwatson.com
