BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRO-CANADIAN " TOYA ALEXIS " IS A CANADIAN VOCALIST AND ACTRESS : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

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Toya Alexis

BLACK                 SOCIAL               HISTORY

Toya Alexis
Birth name	LaToya Lesmond
Born	July 16, 1980 (age 35)
Origin	Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Soul, jazz, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer–songwriter, Actress
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2001-2006
Associated acts	Sugar Jones, Jully Black

Toya Alexis (born Ajax, Ontario), is a Canadian vocalist and actress.^[1]

Career

She won a "Rising Star" contest and sang at the Apollo Theatre.^[2] In 2001 she appeared, as LaToya Lesmond, as a contestant on season one of Popstars on the Global Television Network.^[3] She was a finalist,^[3] and was featured on the debut album of the winners who were named Sugar Jones.

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.^[4] While on the show, her vocal range was the impressive.^[4]

Debut album

She was subsequently offered a recording contract, and released her first single, the Top 40 hit "Am I Loving?", in 2004. 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.^[5]

Theatre

In 2005, she was a featured cast member as "Mabel" in the Canstage show Crowns, at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto.

Her other stage credits have included Doo Wop to Motown (Theatre on the Grand),^[3] 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).^[5]

Idol performances

• 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)^[4]

Singles history

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

Albums

Year	Album details	Peak	Certifications (sales threshold)
		CA
2005	S.O.B. Story Released: August 2, 2005 Label: Plasma Format: CD	—	CA sales: 159,000 CRIA: Platinum
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

• "Am I Loving?"
• "Toy Boy"
• "Where Did Our Love Go?"

Videos

Featured on

• Canadian Idol Greatest Moments (2003) (track 11 singing "Try It on My Own")

• Sugar Jones (2001) (featured on "I Got U")