Listen to Jordin Sparks on Batanga

Sparks was born in Phoenix, Arizona to Jodi Weidman and Phillippi Sparks. She has a younger brother PJ (Phillippi Sparks, Jr). She lived briefly in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and attended Orchard Elementary School. After living in New Jersey, Jordin attended Northwest Community Christian School in Phoenix, Arizona through the eighth grade. Sparks attended Sandra Day O'Connor High School until 2006, then she was homeschooled to better concentrate on her singing.

Sparks is a committed Christian and attends Calvary Community Church in Phoenix, Arizona. On her "American Idol" biography, she thanks her parents and God for her win. She also appeared on the cover of World, an Evangelical Christian news magazine. She won an award for best young artist of the year in Arizona for three years. On her MySpace page, she displayed a picture of herself posing next to a man that said "Stop Abortion Now", creating some controversy.

In 2006, Jordin Sparks won second place in the 2006 Drug Free AZ Superstar Search. Sparks appeared on the January 17, 2007 broadcast of American Idol, earning a "gold ticket" and the right to appear in the Hollywood Round. American Idol judge Randy Jacksonmade the offhand prediction that "Curly hair will win this year," which he admitted wasn't Sparks. Before going on to American Idol, she had won Arizona Idol. In 2006, Sparks was one of six winners who won the Phoenix Torrid search for the "Next Plus Size Model." She was flown to California, where she was used in a number of Torrid ads and promotional pieces. A full-page ad for Torrid featuring Sparks ran in the December 2006 issue of Seventeen magazine"

On August 17, 2007, it was announced Sparks had signed to 19 Recordings/Jive Records/Zomba Label Group, becoming the first Idol winner to join the label group. The album came out to generally favorable reviews. Some critics felt Sparks' vocals were not suited for modern pop music while others thought the album's atypical American Idol material helped Jordin to find a secure future in today's ever-changing music landscape.

A potentially career-threatening throat injury forced Sparks to cancel a few weeks of shows. Officials said that she was suffering an acute vocal cord hemorrhage, and was ordered to strict vocal rest until the condition improved. If it had not improved, it may have required laser microsurgery. She is now back on the road with Alicia Keys. Her first concert originally was scheduled as an opener for Alicia Keys on Wednesday, April 30, 2008.