Today we’d like to introduce you to LaToya Tillis. They and their team shared their story with us below:
LaToya Tillis is an American singer/ songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was born to Beatrice Johnson, a published writer, and James “Quick” Tillis, former heavyweight boxer who fought Mike Tyson for the Heavyweight title in 1986 and played “Buster” in the critically acclaimed movie “The Color Purple”. LaToya’s maternal great-grandfather is Bishop William Decker Johnson who American President Jimmy Carter has written about several times in his autobiographies. In the late 1920s, Bishop Johnson, the bishop of five midwestern states in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded the Johnson’s Home Industrial School in Plains, Georgia as a private African American College.
During her childhood, she recorded and performed with various bands (Leon Rollerson Band) and singing competitions including winning a spot on Lonnie Liggitt’s “Tulsa’s Best and Brightest” compilation CD in 2005 and 2006. After graduating high school, LaToya attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and completed her Bachelor’s Degree at The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, majoring in Music Business and Performance.
In 2015, she played Effie White at Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s “Dream Girls in Concert”. This role made an indelible mark on her career as an artist as she didn’t believe she could pull off the role and did not audition for the part. One day during rehearsal, Musical Director Machele Dill cleared the rehearsal room and told her “You can’t hide anymore”.
LaToya states, “I entered the Masterpiece Sound Studios Cover contest because I did not want to hide anymore. My story is a journey of triumph similar to Effie. I am an overcomer and want to prove to myself that I am capable of great things.” You can watch LaToya’s cover on Youtube under her name. When asked what her goals are she says, “I want to make a major contribution to the music industry, tour, open doors for others, and eventually be entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Some of the struggles I faced dealt with coming from a single-parent home. Growing up in my grandmother’s house with 6 other family members, on food stamps, in North Tulsa, Oklahoma was a mental struggle. My battles have always been cerebral in knowing that I knew there was more to life than staying stagnant in Oklahoma. I had to exercise my faith in trying to aim for a better life.
My mother solely supported me growing up and in college and in turn, I’ve worked hard to be independent to make her proud. Now I am focusing on my music again and hope to inspire others to never give up on their dreams.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter and I think that most people from past and present will always remember me in music at some capacity. I am proud that I have never quit or completely given up. I believe my story sets me apart from others. My journey has been arduous but worth every mountain.
I am very proud of being able to compete in the Motown competition this month. I entered a unique contest to cover one of 10 Motown Hit Songs a competition for a $25,000 prize sponsored by the estate of the late Songwriters Hall of Fame and Grammy award winner Sylvia Moy. The contest is in partnership with Sony Music Publishing.
Moy was the first well-known woman to be a songwriter and a producer and build a recording studio in Detroit. She was best known for her work with the great Stevie Wonder. Moy’s hit songs include My Cherie Amore, Uptight (Everything’s Alright), It Takes Two, “I Was Made To Love Her and Shoo -Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day.
I am traveling to Detroit, Michigan this month (April) to rehearse and compete in the contest Finale on April 20th at the Motor City Casino Hotel’s elegant Soundboard Theater. The Finale Live Show will bring together many notables from music, television, film, and politics and will be recorded for broadcast at a future date. This could be the “big break” I have dreamed of and prepared for all my life.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I absolutely believe in taking risk. In 2014, I graduated college and started a contingent job as a bookkeeper even though my degree was in Music Business. I needed to start working to support myself. I quickly began missing performing and singing and after around eight months, I asked my manager if I could take off a week to go to New York so that I could try to meet music manager Jeff Robinson of MBK Entertainment. During my senior year of college, I wanted to work in the business and began pitching him my songs with an intro video of him (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys61IEloFto) trying to get signed by his management company who is famous for breaking R&B artist such as Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Elle Varner, etc. My manager stated that as a contingent I had no PTO and if I was gone for a week, it would result in termination. I quit my job and drove to New York and went into the MBK offices and was turned away. I don’t regret it. I took a risk and am happy I had enough faith in myself to try.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latoyatillismedia/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latoya-tillis-90854a203/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaToyaTillisMedia
Image Credits
Simon Hurst
