Meet Yvonne Hartman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvonne Hartman.

Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
I have been singing all my life but didn’t play an instrument until later. I picked up the guitar so I could accompany myself to sing special music at church. I started learning a lot of CCM music and started performing in 2006, only about two years after I had started to learn the guitar. Shortly after that, I started writing my songs around 2007. I just released my 7th album in April 2022 and have written over 85 songs so far. I have several in the works, including a new Christmas original song. I hope to release a Christmas EP this year as I have 3 original Christmas songs released already as singles, and I plan to record the new original and a few Christmas covers. Since streaming music seems to be the trend, I have been releasing songs as singles first, and then when I have enough for an album, I release them as a collection. My latest CD, called Walkin’ On Water, is named after the title track and is available in CD format and USB.

The songs are also available on most digital platforms. I am not a full-time artist. I am what they call a “Weekend Warrior,” which means I do most of my concerts on the weekends and within about a 2-hour radius of my home in southeastern Pennsylvania. I have played outside of that area, though, several times in Nashville, TN, Aspen, CO, Seattle, WA, and even St Maarten. I have written songs with Tim Timmons, Bede Benjamin-Korpraal from Hillsong Young & Free, Ty Hunter of the Hunter Brothers, and many other songwriters. I co-wrote a song with a group with Matthew West as our coach. I played on the same stage as Josh Wilson, Building 429, and The Museum in 2011 at a festival called Mayfair in Allentown, PA. I have been getting some radio play in the last few years on Christian Mix 106, Christian Media Spotlight Radio Network, NoteSpire Radio, RacMan Christian Radio, KBCU-FM 88.1, WCEI Radio 96.7 FM, WIAM radio, and a few others.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I started as a solo artist and have had some band members. My kids played with me for a few years – my son Jake on drums and my daughter Sarah on bass. Our band was called B9 Fate, but they moved on, and my dad played bass with me for a while, along with a few other band members. In 2015 I dissolved the band and started performing again as a solo artist. Sometimes I miss the band, but I don’t miss trying to schedule gigs with everyone’s schedule, 2-hour practices, and all that goes along with having a band. I had started making some music for background tracks and some with just guitar. However, I have recently started doing some concerts with a good friend of mine, who is also a singer/songwriter herself, Liz Collins. My dad will also be joining me for some concerts coming up as well.

I think my main struggle, though, is time. I work full time and make music on the side. It is a mission; sometimes, I use the slogan “music on a mission.” It is difficult to be taken seriously by the music industry as an indie and a part-time indie. I am happy and blessed to get my music out through radio, streaming platforms, and concerts. Covid has cut into the concerts. In 2019, I had the most concerts, with 38, and it has been difficult getting back to that level. Some places have started to have live concerts again, and for that, I am grateful.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Many don’t know from my music side of life that I am an Electrical Engineer for my day job. I work for the local electric utility, specializing in computer engineering. My group is responsible for establishing the limits for our transmission facilities – we also call them ratings. One of the main areas of my job is ensuring that all the databases are in synch with the latest ratings. I have become a subject matter expert and have made a name for myself in the industry. I have a lot of fans of my music at work as well, and they are equally surprised that an engineer is so talented with music!

Pricing:

• CDs are $10
• USB Drives are $15

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yvonnehartman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yvonnehartmanmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yvonnehartmanmusicministry
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/yvonnehartman_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/YvonneHartmanMusic

Image Credits
Logo by Sarah Hartman, photos by Sarah Hartman, Paul Hartman, album artwork by Yvonne Hartman (with photo by Sarah Hartman).