GMO: It’s just been a few short months since you won “Sunday’s Best” back in September and so much has changed for you since then. What have you been up to?
Tasha: I have been doing lots of acting. I have a very strong urban theatre background. I was blessed to be able to do The Wiz and plays like Church Girl, Deranged and I Need a Man. I’ve shared the stage with people like Ruben Studdard, Christopher Martin, Angela Winbush, Carl Payne, and Clifton Powell – just great and talented people. Robin Givens is a good friend of mine. I love acting, I love theater. I recently did a movie called Who Can I Run To— and also Kenan [Thompson] from Kenan and Kel. I’ve been doing quite a bit. Anything I can do to get my story out there.
GMO: Awesome! Congratulations on all of your success so far. You mentioned you have a story you want your audience to know about. Tell me a little bit about it for those who may not know.
Tasha: I grew up in the church as a PK (preacher’s kid). I have a strong musical background. My mother is a singer, my grandfather, Warren Harris, was with a group called The Monitors. He vocal coached lots of the tenors and baritones in Motown, so it was evident I would do something in music. I started doing jingles with different corporations: Kmart, Chrysler and United Way from the age of 7 to 14. [It took a turn when] I started rebelling against church and everything I knew to be true. I started drinking and smoking weed, got pregnant at 17, dropped out of school my senior year. Things just began to go downhill from there. I started partying and hanging out. I wasn’t being a responsible mother. I was doing everything I could to treat the wound. The total opposite of what I was taught. My parents were great parents and provided a great experience. My decisions I made were not a result of them.
GMO: One part of your story you often share is your tragic experience with being molested. How do you think that impacted the path you chose?
Tasha: I was molested by close friends in my family — about 3 or 4 different men. I was overdeveloped. I was wearing a bra in fourth grade at eight or nine years old. I couldn't understand why God created me like this to get this kind of attention from men. To me, this was normal. In my mind, every girl at my age was going through the same thing until I got older and realized that men aren’t supposed to touch you like that. I grew up very promiscuous and it escalated from there- doing drugs, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, drinking liquor, pills and cocaine. This is when I knew everything had spiraled down. There are certain things in your life you say you’ll never do and mine was cocaine. But, I saw people doing it and they didn't look like addicts. It was people in the music industry who looked healthy. I was like ‘I’m not gonna get addicted.’ I tried it for one time and got addicted to it for three years.
GMO: So what was your turning point? How does it feel to go from that to where you are now?
Tasha: I’ve been married going on eight years. When I was on drugs, my husband was the one who God used to pull me out of my surroundings. We were supposed to get married and that really wasn’t my focus. My focus was being selfish and wanting to self-medicate Tasha. Two years after that, God put it on his heart to ask me to come down there and visit for his birthday. We ended up getting married and staying for three years. My husband actually saved my life.
To look back where I came from, out of 20,000 people [who tried out for “Sunday’s Best”], I was the one who made it. He strategically places you somewhere and it’s a serious assignment that I carry. It’s something that He wants me to do. Notice I didn’t say need because God doesn’t need any of us. We can’t get caught up in ‘I can sing, I’m pretty, I’m talented.’ So…God wants you to do this. He trusts you and in that there’s a reward that comes with it. I’m riding this journey out. I love God. I’ve lost a few friends since I’ve won the show. I never thought the journey toward success would be this lonely. I’m a person who loves people. I have people all around me all the time. We are always laughing and clowning, but I never thought that the happiest time in my life would be the loneliest.
GMO: What was your most memorable moment on the show?
Tasha: I remember when I packed my clothes because I just knew i was going home. My pastor died the day before we filmed and I missed his funeral. I was at my lowest point like ‘I don't even care. I'm not in a competitive mode.’ I packed my clothes and knew the next day I was gonna get sent home. I got up there, I began to sing and the Lord just took over and shined His light on me. He took over and I just blacked out. All I know is when I walked off the stage I was crying, the judges were crying, the other contestants were crying and the hairstylists and makeups were crying. Everyone was like ‘Wow did that come from?’ From that day forward, it was me allowing Him to stand up strong in me. I have this boldness now. It’s not that I’m fearless. I have insecurities and I get afraid. I’m very nervous when I sing. Like sick nervous. I carry this confidence that can only come along with accomplishment. When you accomplish something, you wear that confidence with you. It was an emotional roller coaster, but it was an experience that definitely came from it.
GMO: Well, we definitely can’t wait to see what’s next for you! What projects are you working on now?
Tasha: Kirk Franklin is producing my new record. My husband is also producing a few songs and I’m writing and producing. This collaboration is interesting. Kirk Franklin is a bonafide hit maker and he’s really a good person. You get his style, his intimacy with God. You get my husband, our grit our grind and we’re like ‘We’re here we’re not going anywhere.’ All of that is coming across in the music. You’re gonna really be able to connect with me as a person. I think a lot of mistakes a lot of artists make are when we don’t know who they are by listening to their music. With this record, you’re gonna who Tasha is.
Follow Tasha on Twitter: @TashaLockhart and Instagram: @TashaPageLockhart
Like her page on Facebook @Tasha Page-Lockhart
