VaShawn Mitchell to Judge Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound Finale

In 2011, Stellar Award-winning artist VaShawn Mitchell moved gospel enthusiasts with “Nobody Greater” – a song that Billboard magazine declared the No. 1 Most Played Gospel Song of the year. Before that, he was the youngest person to serve as the minister of music at the Sweet Holy Spirit Church in Chicago, and it’s his connection to the gospel choir that makes Mitchell a perfect judge for Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound gospel choir competition. Mitchell joined the seven-city tour alongside Tamela Mann, Hezekiah Walker and other gospel music artists to narrow down the more than 40 region finalist choirs to seven. The choirs will represent their regions at the finale Nov. 2 in Los Angeles and compete for a How Sweet the Sound/eOne music recording contract, $25,000 in cash and prizes and the title of "America's Best Gospel Choir." While Mitchell says that each of the choirs brought the “wow” factor in the region shows, they should continue to perfect their performances and bring the “heart factor” to the finale. He says of performing, “The hard part is making us [the audience] believe you. We have to believe that you believe what you’re singing about.”