Leaving her home in California at 18 to be in a band with friends in Tennessee, Thena quickly realized that her passion was not in fronting a band, but in expressing her faith through song and voice. After 3 years under the mentorship of Christian musician James Ward and tons of performance experience, Thena moved back to California to study vocal jazz at the USC Thornton School of Music. There she had the opportunity to work under 9-time Grammy-nominated Tierney Sutton, and Count Basie Orchestra singer Carmen Bradford. In L.A., Thena shared the stage with artists such as Sara Bareilles, Tyrone Wells, Charles Jones and others. After graduating, Thena went on to work with Grammy-nominated writer/producer Busbee, Taboo (Black Eyed Peas), Quincy Jones III, Tim Timmons, John Beasley, Leila Steinberg (Tupac), and Bill Appleberry, to name a few.
In 2008, Tierney Sutton invited Thena to take on a teaching position at the vocal department of the Los Angeles College of Music. Thena accepted, and went on to found and head the Songwriting Program, teach Vocal Performance, and head the Mentorship Program, until the birth of her second child in 2013. In 2012 Thena’s songs were finalists in both the International Songwriting Competition, and Chris Tomlin’s FQ Worship Songwriting Event.
Since leaving her teaching position to focus on being a homeschool mom, Thena has continued to make her mark on the music world. In 2020, Thena won the Be Still Media Competiton for her song “Kingdom Come.” Shortly thereafter, she shot the music video for her song “Man of Sorrows,” with Emmy-Award winning director Alejandro Guimoye. In 2022, The “Man of Sorrows” music video went on to win the International Christian Visual Media Crown Award for Best Music Video, the International Christian Film and Music Festival Award, and the Canadian Cinematography Award. During this time Thena worked as a songwriter and consultant in the K-pop music industry, and additionally, entered into a partnership with Bible League International, sharing their passion to bring Bibles to those hungry for God’s Word.
Thena has four self-released albums to date, with a fifth album soon to be released. She is a member of ASCAP, has served as a worship leader at various churches since 2000, and currently teaches voice and songwriting lessons and workshops. Thena lives in South Carolina with her sweet husband and two boys, who are the joy of her life.
