Delendra TarsaVena

About Delendra TarsaVena

Music has always been in the spirit of TarsaVena. With a singing and musical family, it is hard not to be musical. Musical memories go back to a little child with her mom singing at their home in Selma, AL and later at their home in Linden, AL. The beauty of her mother’s voice would rock and console her hurting soul. Her mother, Mary Peterson, was in a gospel group with her family, and even had a chance to receive a recording contract, but she deemed her family was more important than traveling.
At an early age, she started playing the piano at church. Her grandfather was so proud of her. He would always sing a song called Only Believe. It was funny to TarsaVena then because he would get so into it. Now, she realizes he was singing to her. He was letting her know her dreams are possible if she would only believe.
Not listening to her parents, TarsaVena got married young and had two beautiful children. While completing her BA in Music at Judson College, her marriage of 7 years ended because of mental and physical abuse. Not listening to her parents a second time, she got married again to her singing partner, Cedric “Mr. Setitoff” Haywood. The singing duo met Mel Waiters, a Southern Soul Blues singer, left everything behind to follow their dreams of having a music career in San Antonio, TX, and completed an album on Waiters’ record label, Brittney Records, entitled Soul Time. With no guidance and no artist development, the project did not do as the group, Hog Pin, had hoped. TarsaVena and her husband went back to Alabama, completed an album entitled End of the Rainbow on their own label (HUM Music), generated online sales and completed their first tour.
When things began to take off, the couple started facing marital issues. With her husband having an outside child on the way, the group broke up. It was through these life experiences that she began to realize her purpose and to pour her emotions into her own music. From this storm, her inspirational project, Life is not Gone, was birthed with the help of Toney Nixon. This project came from the turmoil that TarsaVena lived through in her marriage, days of wondering if there was something wrong with her as a woman, a wife, and a mother.
Her singles, I’m Calling, Still Listening, Pray On, and This I Do, landed her many awards show nominations, concerts, 8 television news interviews, a major role in the movie/television series, Plus Size Divas, 2 compilation CDs with First Choice Gospel Records (TN), an appearance on Bobby Jones Presents, an appearance at Artist Fest during the 2016 Stellar Awards and 7 gospel award nominations from S & M Gospel Indie Awards (VA) in May 2015, which she won 4 awards and 1 award in 2016. She also received Producer of the Year at the 2016 BlockBuster Showcase Music Awards.
Her upcoming project, Loving God, My Family and Myself, is focusing on the next level of her life after overcoming depression, divorce, financial problems and more. She found her way into ministry through her project (expired link). (Women Adoring the Lord and Themselves), which is under the guidance of The Freedom Center: International Ministries, founded by Pastor Quintin Cooper. Her single, You’re so Worthy, (released online October 30, 2015) is a life testimony as to how she realized that God loves her so much that he forgives her sins and watches and guides her soul. Along with Kyasia Chaney, TarsaVena wrote a book about her marriage, Diary of a Hurt and Confused Wife.
Now, she uses her music and other skills to express her emotions - whether it's love, a need for love, disappointment, tiredness, struggle, faith and more. With the guidance of God, she hopes to release her second album in February of 2017, which she hopes will give listeners strength thru their storms.