We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tawna Goforth. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tawna below.

Tawna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I grew up in the tiny farming community of Sedgwick, Kansas. There isn’t a single stoplight and everyone gives directions by “the four way stop” because there is only one of them. I am the third kid of four born to two entrepreneur parents. They owned and operated the only gas station/auto body shop in town. My dad fixed the cars and my mom ran the office doing the book work for the business. My mom would bring us kids to work with her so we literally grew up running around “the station,” as we called it. Now as an adult chasing this crazy music dream, I always wanted to write a song about the life lessons I learned watching my dad work on cars. It wasn’t a glamorous job in the Kansas heat, but the way our little community relied on him was admirable. I had the title “Fixing Cars,” in my phone for a while and thought that could be a neat visual relating it to life being greasy, bending but not breaking etc. I sat down to write it with my buddy Hal O’dell and quickly realized it would not only honor my dad but at the same time tell my journey in music as well. Building something from nothing can be very intimidating but I watched my parents do it and it gave me the strength to take the leap. The song became more than I could have imagined. I ended up independently releasing it for Father’s Day in 2023. A local Nashville radio station supporting independent artists debuted it and my parents tuned in. Now, my dad is a bearded mountain man strong silent type. But when he hears me sing, it just gets to him. So I knew this could possibly be a special moment and had my mom secretly set up her phone to record his reaction hearing it on the radio for the first time since they are states away from me. I had no idea just how impactful it would be to him and the video is priceless. I ended up posting it to TikTok and everything clicked. The next day the video absolutely blew up! It generated 1 million views PER DAY for a solid 10 days straight. Topping out at 10.4 MILLION views just on TikTok and almost another million on YouTube, over 23,000 comments, and another 1.3 Million likes. I’ve never had this happen before and I only had 200 followers on TikTok prior to this. Now I’m almost to 80,000. It was phenomenal to see my song and my sweet dads reaction connecting with people worldwide. The comments people were sharing of their own experiences/memories with their dads and loved ones truly warmed my heart. Even so far as woman dancing with their dads to the song at their weddings and sending me the videos. My mind was blown and it opened so many doors for my music to find people in such an authentic way. My dads reaction couldn’t have been more genuine and I’ll cherish the project for the rest of my life. I’ve been in Nashville for 10 years and pursuing music full time for 15 years, so to finally have something breakthrough is all I could hope for.

Tawna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have definitively coined my genre of music and brand to be “Country & MidWestern.” I am from the heart of the US, MidWest Blessed in Kansas and couldn’t think of a better way to describe my sound. I grew up singing in my tiny church that is literally across the street from my parent’s house still to this day. My paternal Grammy played piano for the church and just retired from that a few years ago at 94 years old. My maternal Grandfather was also a country & western performer in Wichita, KS at the Old Cowtown Museum playing harmonica and singing in the drugstore of the western town. Thankfully music is just in my DNA. I performed in all of my school choirs, madrigals, and musicals. I sang the National Anthem at any event I could across Kansas. After graduating high school, I joined my first band. Someone had given my phone number to a drummer from my hometown and he called me out of the blue one day to come sing with them. So at 18 years old I started singing with the band in every dive bar in Kansas and Oklahoma. Even so far as to have one bar in Oklahoma ask for a written permission slip from my parents stating I was allowed to be there. So my older bandmate forged a note and pretended to be my step dad since my parents were hours away in Kansas. I was enthralled at the idea of having a band behind me, learning how to interact with the crowd, and what songs fit the perfect moments. We quickly gained a big following in the area performing at popular rodeos, festivals, and moving our way up as the opening act at the historical Cotillion in Wichita KS. Two shows I’ll never forget as direct support for Thompson Square and Justin Moore. I knew in that moment that I had bigger goals than my elder bandmates and set my sights on Nashville, TN. After performing for 5 years around Kansas, my husband and I made the big move to Nashville in 2014. I had auditioned for every singing competition TV show multiple times to no avail and knew a bigger chapter was waiting for me in Nashville. My husband and I actually convinced his parents to let us temporarily use their big fifth wheel camper to live in while we got to know the different areas in town. So we pulled it 700 miles from Kansas and parked it at the KOA near the Grand Ole Opry where we lived our own tiny house adventure for 6 months as we started our new jobs. This journey even caught the eye of the HGTV network and we got to film our own episode of House Hunters documenting our entrance into Music City. I quit my office job and began writing my own songs, meeting fellow creatives, and just being open to whatever music had to offer. It took me a few years, but I began releasing my own music independently and built my own band from the ground up. I’m so grateful for my guys and their dedication to my work. We’ve been having a blast going out on the road performing in South Carolina, Indiana, Texas, and Kansas to name a few. We got to perform at The Houston Rodeo wine garden and as direct support for Hunter Hayes this past summer at the Wichita River Festival. When we aren’t on the road, we have been enjoying our residency at Blake Shelton’s bar Ole Red on Broadway in Nashville. I’ve loved connecting with new supporters at Ole Red and seeing that translate to my socials/streaming. I just celebrated my 10th year in town this past fall and can finally see some of the pieces falling into place. I am about to release my 6th song and will be direct support at another big festival in Kansas this summer. They say Nashville is a ten year town… we will see.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I entered a local singing contest in Kansas when I was 16 and the prize for the winner was a paid trip to go audition for American Idol in Texas. I ended up winning the contest and the radio station sent my mom and I to San Antonio all expenses paid. I thought this was my big break. We waited in line with thousands at the crack of dawn for just a 30 second audition cattle call style. I watched in the Alamodome arena as person after person, amazing singers, were turned away. What made little old me so special that I could get through to the next round? A petrified little 16 year old from a tiny town no one has ever heard of. I stepped up in front of the judges and belted my heart out. As you guessed it, I too was turned away. Heart broken but determined to figure out how to make it through these tv contest auditions, I went back again the next summer… and the next summer… and the next summer. Over the course of literally 10+ years I auditioned for American Idol, The Voice, The X Factor, and Can You Duet. I’ve traveled to San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, and probably some I have forgotten. From the age of 16 to 28 when American Idol cuts you off and then some the years following for The Voice auditions. I’ve been told “No, Maybe, come back tomorrow, we will call you, you aren’t what we are looking for this year, you’ve made it to the next round…” That next round happened to be when my husband and I had our honeymoon cruise scheduled. Sadly I missed that next round. But I did win the voice contest on the cruise ship hosted by Blake Shelton so that was cool. My journey has been a weird one but I’ve learned so much about myself along the way. I don’t realize how resilient I am until I start thinking back on all of these occasions. Life continues to throw curveballs at me but if I can make it through all these wild auditions and keep coming back, I know I’m meant for something big. God didn’t make me stubborn for no reason. : )

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I wonder this myself sometimes. Life is a funny thing when you start piecing together your characteristic traits. Why do I talk so much? Why do I hear these interesting phrases in my head or am drawn to the way words fit together? Why did I know so many lyrics, songs, and singers as a kid? Why am I so stubborn, have the biggest dreams, and can’t settle for an ordinary life? Ever since I was very young, I knew God created me for a special purpose that was bigger than I could dream up. Unfortunately that never included me settling down in my tiny hometown where all of my family lives and starting a family/working a regular job. But that was all I had ever know and seen around me. People graduate high school, they get married young, and start having kids. It’s just the Midwest way… but not for me. I am the type of person that can evaluate a situation in the moment and ask myself “Will I regret NOT doing this if I don’t even try?” I can not live with myself if I skip out on something that I know I’ll regret later on. I am determined to not let the fear of failure stop me from at least attempting it. I guess that would be the goal or mission in chasing this wild dream. Getting to the end of my life, looking back and thinking man what a ride! It won’t be perfect, might not make any sense, might not look or end up how I want it to, but I found true JOY in the journey. I love learning more about myself through each trial or exciting experience. There’s never failure if you are growing in the process. I knew if I settled down in my small
hometown that I wouldn’t be happy and would always wonder what if. That town will always be there, my family will always be there, but I am determined to be different and do big things with my time on this earth. If I could ever get to a point financially in my career, I’ve always envisioned myself giving back. I’d love to do mission work through my music in other country’s. This might sound stupid but I’ve always had this picture in my mind of buying thousands of McDonald’s cheeseburgers and taking them to the less fortunate…the sentiment is there. I’ve always wanted to use my gifts for good.. I’ve done pretty good thus far and plan to continue following Gods lead down whatever path he chooses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tawnagoforth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tawnagoforth?igsh=Z3VoOXhuaDN2a3dq&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19MDg4Tda4/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Twitter: https://x.com/tawna_sings?s=21&t=ZiGkmDp-t3c6jGf4mK0KTQ
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@tawnagoforthmusic?si=u_EwGy_fGZtXL-Vl
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tawnagoforth?_t=ZT-8wirIoEKY6l&_r=1

  Spotify:
  

  Apple:
  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tawna-goforth/1536001179

Image Credits

Chad Goforth- my husband, number one fan, tour manager, sound tech, stage hand, photographer… literally my Team Goforth