Meet Tawana
Singer/songwriter Tawana has been on a faith-stretching adventure, ever since she began pursuing the call to share her music with the world. Despite Tawana’s various obstacles and trials, she continues trusting in the Lord as she lives out the title of her first album: “Just Sing!”
In the midst of her budding music career, she is also speaking out every chance she gets about an issue she feels strongly about: pornography addiction. Read on to find out why.
Tawana – Living in Limbo
Growing up in a small town in southeast Oklahoma, and raised in a family that was nominally religious, Tawana was often shunned for her faith. It was in her formative years that she embraced Jesus as her Savior, and it was then that she also began fighting with a nagging lack of self-confidence. She had aspirations at a young age to sing and write music, but with little encouragement to go in that direction, and continually fighting chronic sinus problems, such a dream seemed out of reach.
Tawana was married in 1993, but after only a few years that relationship began to deteriorate. Her dreams of being involved in music were put on the back burner. In 1999 her husband filed for divorce, and later he confessed to having cheated on her by meeting people through the Internet.
Towards the end of her marriage she found great encouragement from her local church family. She also joined a choir and attended a songwriting workshop in Nashville. These experiences began to revive some of her dead dreams.
Tawana married again in 2001, this time trusting that her new husband would be supportive of her musical aspirations. Shortly after remarrying she attended GMA’s Music in the Rockies. It was there that she heard the still small voice of the Spirit telling her to quit hiding, step out in faith, and pursue her God-given dreams that had been dormant for so long.
Just Sing
Like most beginners in the music industry she started where she could. She joined a song-writing group in Houston where she began networking with like-minded people. She began singing and performing at open-mic nights and coffeehouses. She returned to Music in the Rockies a second time in 2004, and it was around then that she first seriously thought of producing her own demo CD.
For a long time the thoughts of going to Nashville invoked both a deep longing and great fear. When she began working with a producer in 2006, she fought with the old voices of self-doubt, wondering if she was really ready to begin recording.
On November 18, 2007, her first album “Just Sing!” was released. Most of the album was tracked in Nashville, backed by a group of stellar studio musicians. Larry Rolando, of Crosby, Stills and Nash, plays on a couple songs. Amy Grant’s keyboard player, Tim Akers, plays the B3 Organ on “You Are the One.” Gary Lunn, formerly of White Heart, plays bass on a couple tracks. Tawana remembers how both honored and intimidated she felt recording with these men.
Recording in Nashville was a faith-stretching experience for Tawana. She ended up having sinus surgery during the project, and as a result of the surgery she also found out that she has acid reflux disease (a small nightmare for someone who wants to make a living from their vocal cords).
As I spoke with Tawana on the phone I was struck by her example of faith. Some believe that real faith is trusting God to change their circumstances. God certainly can and does show his mercy by relieving our pains and giving us favor. But more times than not, real faith is about trusting in God to satisfy our deepest longings despite our surroundings and circumstances. Tawana is learning to say, with the Apostle Paul, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).
Accomplishments
IndieHeaven.com, the leading organization for independent artists in Christian music, nominated Tawana for the Song of the Year Award in 2006 (for “Living Water”), and for three awards in 2007: Contemporary Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Song of the Year (for “Dancin’ on the Clouds”).
In addition to the radio play her music has received around the country, her single, “Keeping Christ in Christmas” was picked as the no.1 song of 2007 by KBCU in Kansas.
Fighting Internet Pornography
Tawana learned from her first marriage how the Internet can be a doorway to infidelity. She has also seen other marriages suffer from Internet pornography. While recording her CD project, a friend of hers confessed to a deep addiction to porn, one that had led to other forms of sexually acting out.
In February of this year, Tawana officially partnered with Covenant Eyes in an effort to raise awareness about the devastation pornography can cause. Today she excitedly promotes Covenant Eyes to others in the hope that people will utilize this accountability software. Tawana writes, “I’m tired of the devil using this sin to break down marriages & families. And I’m very passionate about doing what I can for the Lord to fight against Internet Pornography and the Pornography Industry as a whole.”
Tawana is donating $1 from every CD she sells to the Covenant Eyes hardship program, which offers the Covenant Eyes software free of charge to individuals and families who truly cannot afford the service. You can help Tawana fight Internet Pornography by purchasing her music CD “Just Sing!”
Thank you for all you are doing. I use CE and I go to a men’s group at a local church.
You have inspired me!
Sincerely,
Keith Irwin