Marques Houston Religion

What religion is Marques Houston?

Marques Houston is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor who is a Jehovah’s Witness. He publicly announced his baptism in August 2016 at a “Remain Loyal to Jehovah” convention.

Houston began as a child performer in the 1990s boy band Immature (later rebranded as IMx), then launched a successful solo R&B career with hits like “Circle” and “Naked,” and gradually shifted into film acting and independent film production through his company Footage Films.

Early life

Marques Barrett Houston was born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, to Michael and Carolyn Houston. He is of African and Mexican descent and is the eldest of four siblings, with two sisters, Brandye and Danielle, and a younger brother, Brandon. His mother, Carolyn, who supported his early interest in music and dance, was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately died of lymphoma in February 1997. He is the older cousin of Jarell Houston, known as J-Boog of B2K. Houston began showing signs of performing ability at age two and began entertaining professionally at around age nine. He credits Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye as his primary musical influences.

IMx boyband era

In 1990, Houston co-founded the R&B group Immature alongside his childhood friends Jerome “Romeo” Jones and Don “Half Pint” Santos, with Houston going by the nickname “Batman” within the group. Santos later departed at his parents’ request and was replaced by Kelton “LDB” Kessee. The group signed with Virgin Records under manager Chris Stokes and released their debut single “On Our Worst Behavior” on September 22, 1992. Immature went on to release four studio albums, such as Playtyme Is Over (1994), We Got It (1995), Bear Witness (1996), and IMx (2001), and appeared in the films House Party 3 (1994) and House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute. In 1995, Houston wrote “Please Don’t Go” in tribute to his ailing mother, which was included on We Got It. In 1998, the group rebranded as IMx to reflect their maturity and released Introducing IMx (1999) and a self-titled album in 2001 before dissolving in 2002.

During their run, IMx appeared in Destiny’s Child’s music video for “No, No, No Part 1” from their 1998 self-titled debut album. In 2014, the group briefly reunited under the original Immature name and toured together before going their separate ways again.

R&B solo breakthrough

In 2003, Houston launched his solo career with the debut album MH, released through Asylum Records, which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and produced the singles “That Girl” and “Clubbin’.” His second solo album, Naked, followed in 2005 and peaked at number five on the Billboard Top R&B and Hip-Hop Albums chart, featuring the single “Naked,” which reached number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Four years later, in 2007, Houston released his third album, Veteran, followed by Mr. Houston in September 2009, which featured the singles “I Love Her” and “Sunset.” His fifth solo album, Mattress Music, was released on September 14, 2010, containing the singles “Kickin’ & Screamin'” and “Pullin’ On Her Hair.” After a nine-year hiatus from solo albums, he released Me in 2022, marking his return to recording.

Film acting career

Houston made his acting debut providing the voice of Khalil in the animated film Bebe’s Kids in 1992. Houston later appeared in House Party 3 in 1994 alongside his Immature bandmates. His breakthrough acting role came when he was cast as Roger Evans, the comedic next-door neighbor of twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry, in the teen sitcom Sister, Sister, a role he held for five of the show’s six seasons from 1994 to 1999. In 1997, he had a cameo in Good Burger as Jake, Kenan Thompson’s friend.

In 2000, Houston appeared in Destiny’s Child’s “Jumpin’, Jumpin'” music video. In 2004, he starred as Elgin Barrett Eugene Smith III in the dance film You Got Served, where he played one of the main protagonists in a story about street dance battles, and the same year, played Dumb Donald in the Fat Albert film adaptation. From 2005 to 2006, he starred in his own television series, Cuts, on UPN, playing Kevin Barnes. He appeared in the horror films Somebody Help Me and its sequel and starred in A Weekend with the Family in 2016. Three years later, Houston reunited with his IMx bandmates for a brief storyline appearance on Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood in 2019.

Film production career

Houston began his film production career in 2010 in partnership with longtime manager Chris Stokes. He serves as CEO of Footage Films, a California-based production company, with fellow IMx bandmate Jerome “Young Rome” Jones as president and his cousin Jarell Houston, J-Boog of B2K, as vice president. Chris Stokes serves as chairman of the board and directs the majority of the company’s productions. On the other hand, Houston serves as executive producer and writer on the majority of Footage Films’ projects, most of which are made-for-television features. The company produced the 2017 theatrical thriller ‘Til Death Do Us Part and the 2022 thriller The Stepmother, in which Houston also starred.

Personal life

Houston married Miya Dickey in 2020. They have two children together, a daughter named Zara, born in December 2021, and a son named Greyson, born in December 2023. He has spoken publicly about his faith shaping his outlook on marriage and family life, citing his conversion as a turning point in his personal life.