My birth name is, Dawn Thomas, however in March, 1997, I legally had my name changed to, Constant Change.   I did this for a few reasons that I would like to share with you.
In the early 90’s I wrote a song entitled, “Constant Change.”    Some of the lyrics are:
“Tears turn to laughter; joy turns to pain. For some unknown reason, life’s just that way.
If there’s one thing that’s certain, that’s sure to remain,  there’s nothing so constant so constant as change...and we like the flowers must grow through the rain, always adapting to whatever comes our way, cause we learn from sorrows and trials we face that there’s nothing so constant, so constant as change…”

After this song was written, and in 1993, with the help of Carla Berkowitz Ondrasik, I was signed to Elektra Records and recorded a pop album for them. It was a $500,000 dollar project and a major deal at the time.
Once the record was completed however, no one seemed to like the new expensive recordings as much as they did the original demos. For reasons still not entirely clear to me, Bob Krasnow, the then record label exec, dropped me from the label, and decided to not release the album. This was devastating for me. At that time, I was living in L.A, and felt somewhat adrift and very alone. I decided to return to Nashville.

Carla Berkowitz Ondrasik, Music Publisher, Author, &
Public Speaker, Wife & Mother

Elektra Producer, Tommy LiPuma, “Dawn”, bassist, Nathan East. Taken at Bill Schnee Recording Studio in LA

Nashville was where I first started pursuing the business of music, and was where, I, for about 7 years, worked with gospel music publisher, Gary McSpadden. Gary and I met by Divine appointment in the late 1980’s.   He was starting a publishing company, and in need of songs, and I was a burgeoning young writer with lots of songs, in need of a publisher. We were both deeply rooted in the Christian faith, members of the evangelical church, and so it seemed the relationship, and the timing of things, perfectly and purposely fit for us both.
While from a young child, I loved and served the Lord, there were parts of my heart and life I had never fully surrendered to God. As a result, I was often self serving, and, at times, difficult to work with and be around. I didn’t always live a life worthy of my calling or God’s name. Despite these various issues, Gary, and I had, with God’s favor and guidance, created a successful music publishing relationship in Gospel music.  With Gary’s help and connections, several of my songs were recorded, many of which reached #1 on the Gospel or Inspirational Gospel Billboard charts.

Convinced in my heart that God had purposed me to write and sing other types of music, however, I loved and longed to be successful pop star. Known as a Gospel songwriter/singer, however, by those in the Nashville music community, I felt it very difficult to break from that “label.”
I believed the only way to break from the confines of that “box” was to lay down all things Gospel.  And so I began to distance myself from God’s righteous ways and my relationship with Him in order to make a clear statement about who “I” wanted to become.  Instead of waiting on God to bring His purposes in me to pass, in His way and His timing, I set out to make things happen my way.  I became wild and reckless with my behavior. I stopped pursuing God’s character, and it became obvious to those with whom I worked in the Gospel community. This is however what I meant to accomplish. I was no longer perceived “Gospel,” but rather someone no longer even serving God.
So my return to Nashville was not easy, comforting, or pleasant. There were no “welcome home” parties for me, let’s just say that.  I no longer felt close to my Christian base of friends or community of musicians. I felt disconnected, but, sadly, I still wasn’t ready to fully surrender all of myself to God’s will.

Bill Hamm of Hamstein Publishing

Having recovered enough to get out of that dark place, and in an effort to philosophically make sense of things, I legally changed my name to, “Constant Change”. My career needed the attention that a name like, “Constant Change,” would bring me, plus I felt there could be no other concept more relatable to the world than that one.

After all, “there’s nothing so constant as change.”   The name seemed to sum it all up about my life, and probably everyone else’s life. My career had gone from the highest of pinnacles to the lowest of valleys, and my emotions were ever constantly changing. I believed there was universal appeal to it.

Convinced this name, along with the talents God gave me, would catalyze me back into a record deal and the promise of “pop music” notoriety I had gotten so close to achieving just a few years earlier, I was for a while, very impressed with myself for having come up with the whole idea.
But nothing significant happened.  As a matter of fact, my life after the name change was, for me, what seemed like a series of even more dashed hopes and dreams, misguided steps, and a pattern of fruitless endeavors. All the music successes that I knew in years past, while in partnership with Gary McSpadden, despite a less than fully committed partnership with God, seemed to be gone and over for me.

In 2021, by the abundant grace of God towards me,  what felt initially like a clear moment of understanding, a light seemed to sweep through my heart and mind.  I felt like the prodigal son, who began to remember what life was like when living in the palace of God’s favor.  Over a period of months, it was like I began to “come to myself” and remember how life seemed so purposeful, meaningful and full of accomplishment for me when I was attempting to follow after God’s will and way.  I began to realize how living life for so many years, trying to do things my way, only left me feeling the way I had been feeling for so long: disappointed, unfulfilled, and discontented, and removed from who I was suppose to be.
During the next few months, I began to fervently pray in a little closet in the house that I had set up as a prayer room. In those hours that I spent with God, I began to totally and completely surrender everything to Him.

It became clear to me that, as my Creator, God knew more about my future and purpose than I did. I began to trust that He even knew, better than I, what would fulfill my heart. This was the turning point and when I finally laid at Christ’s feet my will and my entire “self” and finally made a total surrender.

After making this commitment, I wasn’t sure about what to do about the name. I pondered if I should change it back to my birth name, since I never liked being called Constant. I have prayed about it quite a bit and still am praying. The honest answer is this: The verdict is still out, and I don’t know what I am to ultimately do.

I may one day feel pressed in my heart to legally change my name back to Dawn Thomas, but for now one thing is for certain, ”I am being changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ through the constant help of the Holy Spirit.“

I am trusting and asking that God somehow use the name, Constant Change, for His glory. I want others to know that there is CONSTANT peace and purpose in Christ Jesus amidst the CHANGE and uncertainty of life.

“To trust in the love of God and His good intentions towards me so much that I fear doing anything but His will; To value people to the same degree that they matter to God; To, by intention and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, look past the facade and into the hearts of men and women, and speak Jesus to their suffering and sin; To leave a legacy of hope, inspiration and encouragement through His gift of music, message, and song; To promote Jesus Christ, by displaying in thought and conduct, the fruits of the Holy Spirit.”