Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Hong.
Hi Deborah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I have loved singing and writing songs for as long as I can remember. During long car rides with my family, they would get serenaded whether they liked it. My biggest supporter was my older brother, Stephen, a basketball player for Fort Dorchester High School and South Eastern University. He would bring his basketball friends home and ask me to sing in front of them. Even if I were scared, he would push me to overcome fear. Until one Christmas Eve morning, everything changed for me and my family. As a family, we have a tradition of driving to upstate South Carolina, where my grandmother lives, to celebrate Christmas with extended family. However, our family had outgrown one car, so we took two. Stephen drove the car, and my uncle and I joined. My parents moved the other car with the rest of the family. We were halfway to our destination when an SUV swerved into our lane and hit the front of my brother’s car, causing him to lose control. Our car begins to flip the length of two football fields, according to the police officers’ measurements. As the car stopped flipping, I soon realized I was the only survivor. My parents and family were in the car behind us, and they watched the whole accident happen. Soon, the ambulance arrived, and that Christmas, we spent time in the hospital and planning two funerals. To this day, it doesn’t make sense why I was the only survivor and how I came out of that accident almost entirely unscathed. However, I do know that my brother’s legacy was the lasting encouragement to keep singing, keep writing, and never let fear stop me. My faith and my family’s faith are the only things that got us through tragedy and years of grief. The hope we held onto together got us to the other side of grief, and now we can continue to carry Stephen’s legacy for the rest of our lives.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been struggles along the way, and one of the biggest ones is navigating the ups and downs of being creative.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a singer, songwriter, and creative director for North Palm Worship, a creative collective that desires to release music that has the power to heal and bring hope that is filled with faith.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is going to the pool with my friends and family and spending hours during a summer day doing cannonball battles, seeing who can splash the most.
Contact Info:
- Website: northpalmworship.com
- Instagram: @deborah_hong
- Youtube: youtube.com/northpalmworship
Image Credits
Wendy Carey Photography, Savannah Kay Photography
