Lonna Hardin

Ever since Lonna Hardin has been old enough to talk it has been evident God planted deep within her a love of singing. As soon as she learned words she was singing them. As soon as she went to school she was asking her teachers if she could sing to the class. And even before she could see over the pulpit she was begging to sing at church. Looking back now, the deeply thoughtful and surprisingly laid-back 31-year-old laughs when she reminisces about her innocent and inquisitive youth. I would always walk up and down my high school hallway singing, she said. Raised in both Texas and Michigan, Hardin was so passionate and outgoing about her voice, her classmates asked her to sing at school events. Of course, Lonna jumped at the chance to perform. It was especially an honor because it was the first time anyone had been asked to sing at sporting events at her school. She also became president of the James Cleveland Music Workshop of America youth chapter in El Paso, Texas and sang a song called Ordinary People on Charles Fold's album. At her graduation her class asked her to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. For her soulful rendition, she received a standing ovation and an incredible memory. As storybook as this upbringing sounds, however, Lonna?s life was not perfect. She fought with real life issues, in particular an obsession to be perfect. In turn, she struggled to feel like she measured up to others, in particular her two sisters. Just like any human experiencing real hurts and healing, Lonna always turned to two things to find comfort ? first of all God and then her voice. As an adult, she recommitted herself to Christ and then began doggedly chasing her dream to become a professional gospel singer. I kept pursuing it and pursuing it, she said. She recorded her first independent CD titled I Praise Him in 1999. She has opened for Gen. Colin Powell, Marvin Sapp, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Ben Tankard and many others. She was also honored to perform at the Vietnam Veterans Wall. In 2005, she signed with RedeemedSoul.com and took one step closer to her ultimate life goal of being a successful gospel singer. I am just really happy to be a part of something like RedeemedSoul.com, she said.While her professional career is on the raise, as an adult Lonna has continued to wrestle with very real issues. I have experienced some hard losses, she admits.