Toya Alexis
 |
Toya Alexis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | LaToya Lesmond |
| Born | July 16, 1980 |
| Origin | Ajax, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer–songwriter, actress |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2001-2006 |
Toya Alexis (born July 16, 1980) is a Canadian vocalist and actress from Ajax, Ontario.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Alexis won a "Rising Star" contest and sang at the Apollo Theater.[3][4][2] In 2001 she appeared, as LaToya Lesmond, as a contestant on season one of Popstars on the Global Television Network.[5] She was a finalist,[5] and was featured on the debut album of the winners who were named Sugar Jones.[2] She was a contestant on the first season of Canadian Idol in 2003, reaching sixth place in a controversial decision as she was a judge favourite.[2][6] "I actually knew I loved to sing before I could talk," Toya Alexis told students at Ridgewood Public School (Mississauga, ON) after her Canadian Idol experience.[7]
In 2004, Alexis was one of several Hip-Hop artists to co-write "Drop the Chrome," an anti-violence song aimed at youth. Other co-writers were Marcus Kane, Thrust, Maestro, Michie Mee, and Skitz.[8] Proceeds from the sale of the 3-track CD were split between two youth-focused charities Tropicana Community Services and Youth Assisting Youth.
Debut album
[edit]Alexis was subsequently offered a recording contract, and released her first single, the Top 40 hit "Am I Loving?", in 2004.[9] She also appeared as a guest vocalist on recordings by several other Canadian artists. Her full-length debut album, S.O.B. Story, was released in August on Canadian Idol judge Farley Flex's label, Plasma, who also served as her manager.[10]
Theatre
[edit]In 2005, she was a featured cast member as "Mabel" in the Canstage show Crowns, at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto.[2][9]
Her other stage credits have included Doo Wop to Motown (Theatre on the Grand),[5] Once on This Island (Stirling Festival Theatre), Rainbow World (Bathurst Street Theatre), The Good Times Are Killing Me (Royal Alex Theatre) and Dreamgirls, (a co-production between Theatre Aquarius and the Manitoba Theatre Centre).[2][10][9]
Idol performances
[edit]- Top 32 (Group 3) - "I Believe In You and Me" (Whitney Houston)
- Wildcard - "Try It on My Own" (Whitney Houston)
- Top 11 - "If You Asked Me To" (Celine Dion)
- Top 8 - "If You Really Love Me" (Stevie Wonder)
- Top 6 - "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (Stevie Wonder)[11]
Singles history
[edit]2002: "I Got U" (with Sugar Jones) (#70, Canadian Singles Chart)
2004: "Am I Loving?" (#36, Canadian Singles Chart)
2005: "Toy Boy" (#17, Canadian Singles Chart)
2006: "Where Did Our Love Go?" (#29, Canadian Singles Chart)
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Album details | Peak | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | |||||||||
| 2005 | S.O.B. Story
|
— |
| ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
[edit]- "Am I Loving?"
- "Toy Boy"
- "Where Did Our Love Go?"
Videos
[edit]Featured on
- Canadian Idol Greatest Moments (2003) (track 11 singing "Try It on My Own")
- Sugar Jones (2001) (featured on "I Got U")
References
[edit]- ^ "Toya Alexis". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
- ^ a b c d e f "Runaway Toya Alexis". World News. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
- ^ "Bio & Pics". Toya Alexis Online. 2007. Archived from the original on April 25, 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- ^ "Toya Alexis". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
- ^ a b c Currie, Harry (2 April 2001). "Sugar Jones shakes up Fergus; Canada's newest singing sensation in town to see Popstars! finalist perform". Toronto Star. Retrieved 21 January 2012.[dead link]
- ^ McCabe-Lokos, Nick (Aug 2003). "A victim of her own popularity? Ajax songstress off Canadian Idol". Toronto Star. pp. A34.
- ^ Kalinowski, Tess (15 June 2004). "Awash in Idol waves as stars visit pupils". Toronto Star. pp. B04.
- ^ Infantry, Ashante (15 June 2004). "Hip-hop artists write anti-gun song". Toronto Star. pp. D05.
- ^ a b c "Toya Alexis at Intimate & Interactive Open Mic at Lambadina Lounge, Toronto (2010) ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
- ^ a b Ward, Lindsay (17 April 2008). "Canadian Idol: 'Canadian Idol' living the Dream". CANOE -- JAM! Television. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- ^ "CIdol judges shocked by latest elimination". CTV Edmonton. 20 August 2003.[dead link]
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
- 1980 births
- Canadian people of Caribbean descent
- 21st-century Black Canadian women singers
- 21st-century Canadian women singers
- Black Canadian actresses
- Canadian contemporary R&B singers
- Canadian soul singers
- Canadian pop singers
- Canadian Idol participants
- People from Ajax, Ontario
- Living people
- Musicians from the Regional Municipality of Durham