Thena Dare

Thena Dare is as real as it gets: no frills, down to earth, and with a natural grace that sets her apart. From a young age, Thena was deeply affected by the world around her, as well as the spiritual life she found deep within her. Losing her older sister early in her childhood played a huge part in her natural inclination to question things, and her desire for resolution and peace. Searching for truth and meaning became second nature for Thena- like breathing, and in her search she found God, and a voice to express the pain and joy.

Thena's songs reflect these themes implicitly, in her truly original blend of folk, jazz, soul and rock that she refers to as "Fazz." Most of Thena's songs are guitar driven, although she is playing the piano a lot more these days, and is known to break out the mandolin from time to time. ____________________________________________________________________________

Thena's musical journey has gone through many incarnations over the years, from theatre, to an accapella group, to a rock band, to finally, going solo as a singer-songwriter. At 18 she packed everything she had in her van and drove from Northern California to Tennessee. She sold shoes by day, and sang her heart out at night to whoever would listen; playing at every local bar, coffee shop, festival, fundraiser, radio station and television show she could get. While in Tennessee, Thena released her first album of all-original material, entitled "Real."

After 3 years, Thena decided to move to Los Angeles to continue her musical growth at the prestigious Thornton School of Music at USC. There, she had the privilege of studying under Grammy-nominated Tierney Sutton, as well as former Count Basie singer Carmen Bradford. Studying jazz had a huge impact on Thena as an artist, opening her up to new possibilities, and giving her an awakened sense of the improvisational. While at USC, Thena released her second all-original album, entitled "Eidolon," establishing her growth, depth and ease as an artist. During this time Thena had offers from labels, production companies, and even MTV, turning them all down in pursuit of the right fit.

In the last 4 years, Thena has become involved in the non-profit Heart Education, spear-headed by Leila Steinberg, former manager of Tupac Shakur. Thena has been blessed to have so many opportunities to share her music with kids in places like L.A.’s Juvenile Hall, and many of the underprivileged schools in the greater Los Angles area.

Since graduating, Thena has put her focus on writing from her heart, performing without fear, and learning to engage with all that God has to teach her in this crazy life. It's been an arduous road since she initially started pursuing her own music 12 years ago, but somehow it fits who Thena is so perfectly. At the heart of her music is the cry for growth and change, repentance and metamorphosis- and those things take time. In a society that more and more praises the glamorous, the cheap, the plastic, and the immediate, Thena is earthy, strong, simple and unpretentious. In a world of people looking for a voice, Thena has found hers. __________________________________________________________________________

Highlights of Thena’s career include singing back-up for Barry Manilow and James Ward, sharing the stage with such well-known comedians as Mike Epps and Michael Richards, and singing for her family and friends. __________________________________________________________________________

Thena released her third and most recent album in 2006, entitled "Under the Radar."___________________________________________________________