Today we’d like to introduce you to DeAnté Bryant.
Hi DeAnté, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
When it comes to my story, it’s hard to widdle it down. In just 21 years of life, so much has happened already. Let’s start with the basics. I was born in St. Louis but moved to Springfield, MO, early on, where I grew up. The summer before 8th grade, I moved to Colorado Springs, CO, with my mom and sister, where I spent 3 short but crucial years of my life. From there, I moved back to Springfield with my dad and brothers, where I finished high school. Then, I moved back to St. Louis to pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre at The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University (we’re almost there!). Now when it comes to how I live my life, things can be summed up in two parts: before and after Christ. I know this might sound corny, but it’s true.
While growing up, there was a lot of chaos. There were great times too, but it’s easier to remember the bad stuff. Many things happened that were out of my control. I had a lot of anger and feelings I didn’t know how to express. This especially showed itself during my time in Colorado, where things were very stressful for my family. When I was a sophomore in college, I went back to visit my family in Colorado and quickly realized that some of that unhealed trauma was still present. One night, in a rage, I jumped in my car, sped out of the driveway, and headed down the mountain. Suddenly, as I was driving, my car hydroplaned on the dirt path, and before I knew it, I flew off the side of the mountain and flipped six times. By the grace of God, I walked away with only a concussion and a heart-shaped scar (which reminds me of my late-Granny B). The following day, when we went to go pick up the wreckage, I reached down and picked up a cross, but not just any cross; it was a cross that belonged to my older brother Caelan who was murdered in April of 2020. It was a cross I had no recollection of being in my car before the accident. The next day, when the tow man came to pick up the car, he immediately wept. He pointed at me and said, “You have been born again.” Then he said that God had given me another chance and that I should go to church and tell everyone what had happened. I felt the Lord’s presence that day and swore to live for him from that moment forward. This summer, I was baptized in Jesus’s name.
Since then, my life has completely changed for the better Everything that I do is to glorify the kingdom. I am still far from perfect and make mistakes daily, but what keeps me going is God’s love for me and his promises of eternal life and salvation. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). And so can you 🙂
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. There have been some obstacles along the way. As I mentioned, one big obstacle was losing my older brother Caelan. He was murdered on April 19th, 2020, in a bad drug deal. He was a genuine soul caught with the wrong people at the wrong time. This was devastating to my entire family and me. I was honestly in a pretty dark place mentally for a while. I questioned why God would do such a thing. Why would he take my big brother away? As I have grown in my faith, I now understand that we, as people, will never understand why the Lord allows things to unfold as they do. All we can do as his creation is trust Him and his plan for our lives. Instead of being angry and holding hate in my heart over the tragedy that day, I decided to be the change I wished to see. I decided to lead by example and show my younger brothers and family that there is another way. That gun violence is never the answer. What’s cool is being yourself and going after what you are passionate about, being kind to others, and loving your neighbor even if they are different from you.
Something else that I have struggled with is getting in my way. Believe it or not, my reputation as a person could be better. I am extremely passionate about what I do and give my all to everything that I am a part of, but I have often been known for being unreliable as a professional. This is a hard truth to accept, and frankly, it is a result of times when I chose not to do the work. Times when I ran away from the problem instead of to the solution. Times when I decided to scroll through Instagram instead of memorizing my lines. If I could share any advice with upcoming artists, the main thing is that it’s tough to change your reputation once people have decided who you are. I spent 3 years slacking off, and as a senior in college, I am finally starting to realize what it takes to be great. It’s not about doing the things you like. It’s about having the courage to be vulnerable and work on the things that you don’t like or the things that you need to work on. For me, that has been dance. Considering I was cast for the past 2 years as a ghost dancer in a Christmas Carol at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, this might surprise some, but I know I still have so much more to learn when it comes to being a technically skilled dancer. It will be an uphill battle, but I am determined to be the best dancer I can be. I’m trying to book the Muny Yo.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Christian Artist. My main passion is making music. Whether going to the studio or playing the piano, I love to express myself through the art I create. This includes my work as an actor and musical theatre performer. I also enjoy writing. I am proud of a play I wrote for the Webster Student Voices Project (2022), My Conscious Mind, featuring original music. This piece allowed the audience to look inside my mind and see some of the discoveries I had made so far in my life as I tried (and still try) to navigate through love, anger, loss, fear, and faith. I am incredibly proud of this piece because it was the first time I could open up about my life on stage in such a raw and real way. It encouraged me to have the strength to share my story in hopes of inspiring others to do the same. What sets me apart from others is my spirit. I care deeply about the things that I do, and I care deeply about others too. I always try to maintain a spirit of love and light.
We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Can you share something that might surprise us?
Something surprising about me is that I don’t know how to read sheet music. If needed, I can get through a piece, but I learn to play things by ear. My mom bought me my first piano when I was in 6th grade. I would spend hours at the piano, trying to hear the sounds and playing songs. It became a safe space for me, like home. It’s where I can truly express myself. My deepest feelings and emotions. Without judgment or expectations. To this day, it feels like no one knows me like the piano (shoutout to Sampha).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/dangit_te
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/CYnHylE-Gns
- Website: deantebryant.com
- SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5acI9X4dMl2nuMTHOq1ZvB?si=mOdgv0hqQrmWrSV_Sf1xpg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dangit_te
Image Credits
Kylee Vawter, Phillip Hamer, and Jeannie Liautaud
