Deanna Loveland, of Gianna Records, is a powerful young woman. In her twenties, Deanna exudes passion and joy in the midst of an incredible display of talent.
Deanna first became known for her musical abilities and performances. She has performed for a wide variety of audiences – including local churches, private events at Jerry Bruckheimer’s estate, and the Premier Iglesia Bautista in Mexico. Deanna is well-loved for her signature ability: playing both the harp and piano simultaneously while singing.
At the tender age of five, Deanna began to play piano by ear, and she soon progressed to the harp and violin. She took her gifts even farther by pursuing singing and songwriting. When I met Deanna – when she was just fourteen – it was clear that this girl had a quiet confidence about her. Deanna shares:
I guess I was one of those children that was born with a mission and never doubted what I was going to do/be when I grew up.
Deanna’s latest album – Inner Perfection – was released in January of this year, and she is traveling this summer to promote it.
For me ‘Inner Perfection’ wasn’t just about who I am as an artist … I think it exposes my passion to see others set free from whatever limitations they’ve had on their life. Whether it’s something as simple as peer pressure to be average or something more serious like an addiction or self-harm, it’s a box people don’t have to be in. With these songs I kinda wanted to say ‘hey, you can always rise above it and live your fullest potential.
Several years after beginning her music career, Deanna began to model and also came upon the fashion scene, revealing her own unique line: The Loveland Collection. She explains:
Fashion has always been more of a hobby for me. Started sewing when I was about nine and did more designing and embroidery as a teenager. I always kept it on the back burner knowing I would use it eventually.
I’m really known right now for doing custom work. I love doing formal things for weddings or special events and there’s nothing like having a dress custom sewn to fit.
I’ve followed Deanna’s career for years – since we met in 2003. It came to my attention that she has chosen to donate a portion of her proceeds to a pregnancy resource center and to a home for women. Deanna’s choices in giving and in the words of her songs speak a timely message to today’s women: Life is valuable. Women matter. Babies ought to be given every chance to live. Women are precious just as they are.
This is just the sort of message that we need to hear from the music, modeling, and fashion worlds. Deanna graciously granted me an interview that gives us insight into the heart of a young woman striving to make a difference in the lives of her generation.
Perhaps my favorite thing about Deanna is that she has set an example as a celebrity who chooses to give to truly pro-life, pro-women organizations. She personally knows people from Mercy Ministries and The Pregnancy Resource Center of Danville, Kentucky. Deanna has taken the responsibility to make sure her money goes to organizations that help women choose life – for themselves and their children. In our interview, she gives advice for others on how to choose a truly pro-life organization to give to.
Q. I’ve noticed that some of your songs and your fashion line seem to focus on inner beauty and acceptance of women, specifically, just as God made them. Why have you chosen to focus on this?
A. It’s kind of like walking through an apple orchard and noticing about 56% of the trees are withered with no fruit on them. Naturally, you want to pitch in, water, feed, nurture, and help them be all that they were created to be. For me, seeing girls with such a low self-esteem, who don’t think they’re beautiful…it breaks my heart over and over because if only they knew. If I can be that voice of encouragement and hope for even one girl, then I’m happy. I know a lot of women look at photos in magazines to find their identity, and there are times that I’m one of the girls they look up to…but I want them to know that when the lights go down, cameras are off, and the makeup gets washed off at night…that’s the beautiful girl that really matters. My song “Just Like You” was written with that in mind. Every girl wants to be beautiful…but that’s just the problem. Every girl is beautiful already, and for us it’s scary and sometimes overwhelming to open up and discover that beauty, but I wish that for every woman.
Q. What do you think is an important message for today’s women?
A. To seek God. Seriously, I know that sounds cliché, but this isn’t a Sunday school answer. … If we could take even just 10 minutes out of our busy schedule to kneel in a quiet place and just be silent…listen. Listen to ourselves, listen to our deepest feelings, and listen to God speaking into our lives – speaking hope, love, peace…finding our identity in Him. There’s so much in that quiet place.
Q. Why are you pro-life?
A. Aside from the scientific proof that a fetus becomes a life at the moment of conception, I’ve seen the tears, guilt, and pain that women carry after having an abortion. It’s clear to me that there’s much more involved – it’s not just a choice, and it’s certainly not freedom…it’s something a woman deals with every day for the rest of her life.
Q. How do you incorporate the pro-life message in your work?
A. Right now I mainly support through financial donations and giving my time for live appearances, performances, or speaking for events.
Q. How did you make sure they [the organizations you support] were pro-life and that they truly empowered women?
A. A couple girls who are dear friends of mine graduated from the Mercy Ministries program. No organization or program is perfect, and they can’t always guarantee a cure, but Mercy is definitely doing their best to help women rise above their situation and find a new start.
The pregnancy center I support is run by a dear friend of mine and I’ve heard story after story of girls choosing life because of that center.
Q. What is your advice for other celebrities (and everyday people) who want to choose good, pro-life, pro-women organizations to give their money to?
A. I would encourage anyone to look up their local pregnancy resource center or women’s homes and research them a little to make sure they’re legitimately supporting and helping your local girls. The smaller facilities have such high demand and meet so many needs, and yet I feel like they get overlooked financially.
If you want to find out more about Deanna Loveland, you can visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or find her on Facebook. I urge you to find out more about Mercy Ministries and The Pregnancy Resource Center of Danville, Kentucky. Both of these organizations are very worthy of support.
Below is a music video of one of Deanna’s songs, “Broken Wings”:
