About  M. L. SPears

M. L. Spears creates genre-bending music for souls caught between scars and salvation. With deep roots in R&B’s emotional core, he fuses gospel, R&B, hip-hop, blues and spoken word musical styles to deliver songs that don’t just speak to brokenness—they reach into it. Every lyric is meant to lift, heal, and restore. Whether it’s a gritty street anthem or an intimate psalm of praise, Spears creates music that wraps around weary hearts and whispers truth and life.  More than just songs—they’re lifelines. He invites every listener to choose light over darkness, to rise, reflect, to choose life!

  forged in Poetry and Praise

A Voice from

the Front Lines of Faith

If you’ve ever asked God to turn your mess into a message, Michael Lane Spears—better known as M. L. Spears—has a testimony worth tuning in to. 

Deep Roots in the Deep South

Born in 1964 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Spears’ life reads like a script flipped by grace: unstable beginnings, chaotic home life, and enough childhood turbulence to make the strongest soul stagger. And yet, somewhere between the government cheese, patched-up Toughskin jeans, Section 8 housing, and weekend escapes to Granny’s house, a voice was forming—a voice forged in survival, sanctified through struggle, and destined for purpose.

Raised between New Orleans and Lafayette, Spears’ early life was a relentless game of musical chairs, living with his mother’s struggle as a single mom, enduring poverty, his father’s alcoholism and get-rich dreams. He bounced from school to school (seven by the time he hit high school), moved in and out of over a dozen homes, and saw more broken dreams than birthday candles. 

And yet—through it all—Granny’s house was the one place that stayed constant: a refuge, a safe haven, a ministry of love dressed in home-cooked meals and freshly laundered clothes.

somebody who Believes in you

Learning the Ropes of Success

At 16, Spears bought his first car, moved in with Granny full-time, and found what every young man needs at least once in life: stability, structure, and someone who believes in you. It was a divine turning point.

Following high school graduation, he enlisted in the Louisiana Army National Guard, aced basic training, and came home with the title of Honor Graduate. The military gave him something his childhood never could—discipline, clarity, and proof that success wasn’t just for other people.

Then came college. Against all odds, and without a drop of inherited advantage, Spears was determined to graduate with honors. He attended the University of Louisiana (University of Southwestern Louisiana at the time) where he was a 2-term Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, pioneered desktop publishing at the paper and within the Communication Department, founded the student advertising club, cheered on the varsity squad and graduated with honors. 

He proceeded to build his career around spotting the future before others could pronounce it. From pioneering desktop publishing in the late ’80s to launching a regional digital marketing agency to spearheading innovations in K-12 enrollment software, Spears rode every new wave of tech innovation like a man who had nothing to lose—and everything to prove.

Where Grit Meets Grace

Then came the moment that changed everything again: faith. Not the Sunday-school faith of his childhood, but a grown-man encounter with God that began with his (now) wife Ilse—a South African firebrand with a missionary’s spirit and a minister’s anointing—and a 6:30am church pickup from her father in 2009. It snowballed fast and God’s grace blossomed. Spears didn’t just return to God; he ran headlong into the heart of the Father. 

And in 2025, that passion took creative form.

A New Direction

Out of a personal Bible study on the names of God came a divine nudge: "Write Me a song." One song turned into four. Four turned into 26. What followed was a supernatural acceleration that resulted in a published Bible study, a full original song catalog of 115 recordings, and the formation of Jehu Music, a faith-based label––a music ministry with a sound all its own.

While it may have seemed like an unexpected turn, Spears' move into songwriting was anything but random. A lifelong lover of words, poetry, and music, he had long harbored creative ambitions, though life’s demands—college, career, business, and family—kept those dreams on hold.

It wasn’t until a deeper walk with God began to reshape his inner world that the desire to write music stirred with urgency. In his quiet time with God, he felt a growing desire to express his love for God—His goodness, His majesty, His grace—but the right words always seemed just out of reach. Studying the Psalms, he marveled at how David gave voice to awe, devotion, and worship through poetic song. Spears often wondered if Heaven held words we don’t yet know—words weighty enough to carry the fullness of God's glory.

That longing turned into breakthrough. When he began writing songs of praise and setting them to music, the barrier lifted. What had once felt impossible to express was suddenly pouring out, lyric by lyric. The more he studied the names and nature of God, the more the songs became windows—revealing not only who God is, but revealing how God saw Spears and who He created him to be.

It was then he realized: music wasn’t just artistic expression—it was divine connection. The melodies reached where mere words fell short, stirring the spirit and unlocking something sacred in the soul. That became the mission: to write music that reveals the character of God and speaks directly to the deepest places in the human heart.

Born to Break New Ground

M. L. Spears is not your typical Christian artist. His music is a genre-bending mix of hip-hop, gospel, spoken word, and blues, written with a theologian's depth and a street poet’s edge. One minute he’s channeling Davidic psalms over trap beats. The next, he’s speaking life into modern-day prodigals through poetic declarations of redemption. Spears isn’t chasing trends—he’s building a body of work that’s both timely and timeless.

Music That Speaks Life

Spears makes music for those caught between battle scars and breakthrough, for the doubters and dreamers, the saints and street kids. His catalog doesn’t just inspire—it instructs, uplifts, convicts, and comforts. The message? Choose life. Speak life and truth. Follow Christ.

More than an artist, M. L. Spears is a movement of one, a pioneer in a time when faith needs fearless creatives and unfiltered voices. Everything he does—every lyric, every beat, every hook, every book—is born from a desire to hear these words from his Creator: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

And in case you're wondering: yes, he still thinks government cheese was the best cheese ever.