In the film Sparkle, a fictional trio of sisters become famous Motown superstars, but they got their start singing in church. Their story mirrors the lives of many artists in popular music today. Check out these mainstream pop music artists who began their careers singing for the Lord.

Sparkle is in theaters August 17, 2012, starring Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Cee-Lo Green, Mike Epps and Derek Luke.