A woman who's sweet, caring, and charming, but also hardcore, Toya B. knows what it's like to have a tough situation thrown at her and has always been very creative when faced with a challenge. Born to the streets of New Jersey, she is among many family members of entertainers, and martial artists. At a very young age Toya took a dream of becoming apart of the entertainment industry and ran with it, creating many projects stemming from true desire and drive. And it all began when she felt it was time to show the world what sets her apart from the rest and why she is determined to be the best....changing the face of the entire entertainment industry, going above and beyond anything that has ever been done, and then some!

Brief Bio — The Industry

My Artistry

Singing/Musicology

With my singing, I'm a soprano with a multi-octave vocal range and access to the whistle register. My singing can be a mixture of different styles, depending on the song: light and airy, gritty, soft, powerful, or operatic etc. I spent my high school years training in the operatic style so, as I just mentioned, I can sing opera as well as classical. I think what has inspired me with different types of singing is growing up listening to various styles and genres.

I sing in many genres and don't want to be labeled with just one or two simply because of my race or be weighed down by only one style of singing. Genres such as rock/gothic rock/soft rock, metal, R&B, soul/neo soul, gospel, blues, jazz/smooth jazz, pop, new jack swing, classical, opera, and more has been embedded in my soul from an early age. So whatever the song, whatever the genre, I can sing it.

My influences go way back to classical musicians such as Mozart and Beethoven, to opera singers such as Kathleen Battle, and Leontyne Price, to singers and bands such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Etta James, Billie Holiday, B.B. King, Jimmy Hendricks, Green Day, Evanescence, P!nk, Nirvana, Metallica, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Bishop Briggs, Jessie J., Sade, Joshua Ledet, Laporsha Renee, and soooo much more. This isn't even half of the people who've influenced me, and I honestly didn't mean to mention this many, but how can I choose who to mention and not mention? There are so many great artists out there and I'm hoping to one day be among them.

I've trained in piano and a little guitar and I'm also hoping to evolve with that as well. I write my own songs and am currently working on writing and composing new material that deal with honesty that's raw, real, and edgy. I want to blend a mixture of gothic rock but also with soul/neo soul, and other genres I mentioned above. I want to create music that people wouldn't expect from me but what I've always considered. . .me. Take it or leave it.

Acting/Filmmaking

What can I say? My passion for acting is about as strong as my passion for music.

I started out by training in the dramatic arts for theater, film, and television about the same time I was training in music and slowly evolved my acting techniques and styles for the many genres I have a passion for. There's just something about tapping into a different side of you and letting out the emotions that comes with a particular character and using that to bring a story to life.

I love acting, love the idea of creating stories and putting them on film and on stage at the theater, and love so many different types of films and actors. Some of you may even know my favorite ones. I write and perform in many genres of film: comedy (yes, I'm funny, believe it or not), action/adventure, martial arts, drama, crime drama, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, etc. So my acting spans throughout all of that and then some.

When I first started networking I connected with some amazing filmmakers who saw my vision for certain things and understood it so we collaborated on a few projects. Without going into too much detail, I decided my talents were best for new projects I had swimming around in my head and have been working on it ever since. I've been on hiatus with my work but am slowly getting back to doing this since I love it so much. I'm a martial artist and stuntress so I plan on incorporating that in my work. I'm also working on some fan fiction for a popular horror movie franchise so stay tuned on that.

Favorite Quotes

"knowing is not enough, we must apply, willing is not enough, we must do" ~ Bruce Lee

"Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend." ~ Bruce Lee

"forgiveness means setting that prisoner free and that prisoner is you."

"to feel is to believe and to believe is to achieve" ~ Toya B.

"finding beauty in all things that are imperfect is a step towards self evolution" ~ Toya B.

"If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" ~ Vincent Van Gogh

"The realist sees reality as concrete. The OPTIMIST sees reality as clay."

"True peace cannot be achieved by force or by merely invoking the word "peace." It can only be attained by training the mind and learning to cultivate inner peace. Peace is a calm and gentle state of mind." ~ Karmapa

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on." ~ Walter Lippmann

"forgiveness and trust are two of the most powerful things in the world. yet both of them are so hard to do when you've been hurt and betrayed. and to be able to achieve enough enlightenment to be able to trust and forgive starts within you, your inner power, your spirituality, and your ability to continue living..." ~ Toya B

"it ain't about how hard you hit, its about hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward.That's how winning is done. Now if you know what your worth, go out and get it...but you gotta be willing to take the hit and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that." ~ Rocky

"the artist that trains the body becomes strong. the artist that trains the mind and body becomes enlightened. the artist that trains the mind, body, and soul becomes invincible." ~ Toya B.

"never judge a man by his past for it is his past that has allowed him to grow into the type of man he is today. however rocky it was, appreciate it, learn from it, and move on to evolution." ~ Toya B.

"The thing I've learned about film is that as the filmmaker u can ignore continuity & get away w/ it whether it makes sense or not." ~ Toya B.

Trivia

Is left-handed

Hasn't grown an inch since sixth or seventh grade

Has Native American and West Indian heritage

Rita Owens, Queen Latifah's mother was my high school art teacher and once stated that I "sounded like the little old lady from the film Poltergeist."

Can do voice-over/voice animation. Has the voice that is similar to that of a child when speaking regularly.

Can't enjoy certain foods without cheez

Related to Winnie the Pooh

Has a wide octave vocal range when singing

Has had dreams that were more along the lines of premonitions, some of which were the inspiration to several film scripts/manuscripts

Empath to others' emotions and sensitive to strange phenomena

Loves to knit and crochet during any spare time

Is a foodie and enjoys cooking a wide variety of foods and baked goods (see Foodie Rules)

I'm book-smart like a Ravenclaw, but I'm a pure Gryffindor.

Studied Divination, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Although Johanna Lindsey is my favorite author, the first historical romance I've ever read was Midnight Fire by Madeline Baker, who is also another fave.

I speak whale fluently