Lonna Hardin/ Interview / BlackGospel.com - Your Music Ministry Source! - April, 2006

Interview with Lonna Hardin
April 2006, BlackGospel.com

The hit Independent compilation release – The New Soul (RedeemedSoul) – features an array of very talented psalmists, some who’ve established a respectable following over the years (Bridgette Campbell, Denise Tichenor, Frank Cole) and some emerging new voices that are bound to make an impact, with the public (D’Andre Bracey, June Long). One of the new talents on the cusp of fame and industry distinction is a fresh new face by the name of Lonna Hardin.

A product of both the Midwest and the Lone Star state, where so many vocalists first found their notes, Lonna has been silently honing her skills over the years and preparing for such a time as this, when her talent would be used for glory and honor among a new generation of saints and sinners.

Having recorded with the late Dr. Charles Fold and having also gained important lessons from the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Miss Hardin is not necessarily a newbie as an artist. But her sound and style will certainly strike a refreshing new chord among younger believers and individuals facing modern-day crisis.

It’s a sound that will draw comparisons with sacred neo-soul contemporaries like Lisa McClendon and Adrianne Archie. But make no mistake about it…her message is succinct and steadfastly fastened to the Word of God. BLACKGOSPEL.COM stole a few minutes from Lonna to talk about her association to the Gospel Music Workshop of America, her formative years as a Christian and artist and the repeated comparisons of Neo-Soul to The New Soul.

Christopher Heron: Lonna, let’s begin with the formative years, your days as a child and teenager growing up in Texas and Michigan. I’d love to know a little about your upbringing in those formative years and how those particular years cultivated your love and talent for singing God’s music today.

Lonna Hardin: I was born in Michigan and lived there until I was 7, and then moved to Texas and stayed until the age of 16. After that we relocated back to Michigan to be closer to my mother's family. My mother kept us in church. My mother was an evangelist and minister. She did a lot for youth and would hold youth rallies. I remember her always doing something for the Lord. I was baptized at age 7 and filled with the Holy Ghost by age 13. When I was a little girl, I always said I would be a star and loved singers like Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson. My older sister could sing very well too and when I was about 5 and she was 9, we started a duet.

We performed together until she was 16 and I was 12. We performed at several venues and were very involved in church activities. The thing that really cultivated my love and talent for singing was that I was always being compared to my sister. She could sing beautifully, and though I loved to sing, I really needed work on my ear training and vocals. So, when I was a little girl, I prayed and asked God to please allow me to sing. His answer to my prayer was the first motivation that pushed me in the direction I have taken ever since.

CH: You served as the president for the El Paso, Texas Youth Chapter the GMWA, which is quite an honor. Have you made it a point to be very involved with the Gospel Music Workshop of America, over the years? And if so, how has your time spent in the workshops and seminars nurtured your gift and passion for singing?

LH: Since I moved from Texas I have not been very involved with GMWA. I have been told how the organization has grown and taken on a different shape since I was a child. However, the experience and skill that was imparted to me as a child has proven to be very useful in nurturing my gift and passion for singing. I worked with such outstanding gifts as BJ Fears, Rolland Pollard, and of course the late Dr. Charles Fold. These opportunities pushed me out of my comfort zones and sparked a drive for excellence that I continue to strive to attain. My directing, composing, writing and arranging skills were definitely sharpened because of my exposure and connection to the GMWA.

CH: You were previously featured on a former recording with Dr. Charles Fold and The Charles Fold Singers. Did you have an opportunity to know Dr. Charles Fold? And how did the announcement of his sudden death recently affect you?

LH: I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Charles Fold in my early teen years. I did not get to know him on a deep personal level, but will be forever grateful for the opportunity he gave me as a young teenage girl, with seemingly at the time, nothing but ambition. He didn't know me before the recording, and still gave me the chance to let my gift be heard. He pushed me the night of the recording to come out of my comfort zone and helped me to become a little more confident in who I was in God. He is a gift that will be greatly missed and I am just grateful that I had the chance to be influenced by and a part of his ministry.

CH: You’re featured on three separate Urban Contemporary selections on the hit compilation release, “The New Soul“ with “Can’t Nobody”, “Tender Mercy” and “I Belong To You”. I noticed two of the tracks are written by executive director and friend, David Taylor. You must have a great working relationship and artistic rhythm. From the little I’ve heard, I would define your style as very soulful and contemporary. How would you describe your style? And how have the writers, arrangers and your executive producer helped you to hone your skill and maximize your personality on disc?

LH: It has been very challenging as an artist to describe my style. Some have said after hearing me minister that I sound neo soul. I personally think that my presentation transcends any one particular sound. I definitely want creativity to be heard when I minister and sing and do not by any means just want to be a traditional gospel singer. My former Bishop always said that, "God is not a duplicator, but a creator. Everything He does is original." I would love for people to be able to hear some new creation every time I open my mouth to sing. That creation can be expressed not just through the notes and the sound, but the experience behind the music. I hope the beauty of God always comes out in everything I do.

However, I would agree with you that soulful and contemporary are excellent words to describe some of what I do. God knows that I could not have asked for a better executive producer and production team to have worked with. They allowed me to maximize and hone my skill on CD by first of all believing in my gifts and abilities. Secondly, by working with them, I have been able to see music and ministry in an entirely new dimension. David is an encourager and a man of excellence. So, he brings that out in everything that he does. Berris Bolton, my producer, along with the production team, took what he wrote, the tracks, and my vocals and pushed me to perform and bring the music to life.

CH: In conclusion Lonna, could you share with us your hope and wish for anyone who should hear your testimony and witness on The New Soul?

LH: My desire for anyone that would hear my testimony and witness on The New Soul is that he/she would be strengthened and empowered to continue to pursue God at new levels and in different dimensions. I pray people would reach beyond religious stereotypes and norms and look for God in a new way. Yes, He is the God of yesterday, today, and forevermore. However, he is a God that reveals Himself at different times and in different manifestations. I hope people will, "have an ear to hear," what the Spirit is saying to the church.

I hope people leave the religious clichés and sounds behind, unless they are useful in helping them gain The New Soul. I would like to conclude by saying, the Bible says, "What profits a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" If by chance someone has lost their soul along the way, hopefully listening to this project will help them find it again and be renewed. "Behold, He makes all things new!"

To contact Lonna Hardin, send your email to lhardinllc@yahoo.com. For more information on the album, The New Soul, visit www.thenewsoul.com. For booking information, CD orders or general enquiries, email David Taylor at dtaylor@redeemedsoul.com.