Tonya Mitchell Biography

Dec 27, 2006

Birthdate: August 21, 1982

Who Is Tonya Mitchell?

Tonya Mitchell is from Huron, Tennessee and has been singing since she was old enough to talk. Tonya Mitchell's parents discovered that she could sing when they caught her singing along to Debbie Gibson and Tiffany songs. They began entering Tonya Mitchell in talent shows and by the time she was seven she was doing recordings in Barbara Mandrell's studio. When Tonya Mitchell started doing the country fair circuit she sang covers of country songs even though she wanted to become a popstar - listening to Toni Braxton and Mariah Carey. Tonya Mitchell's father was also in the business of entertaining people - he performed as a local magician under the name of Cowboy Louie.

Tonya Mitchell's Big Break

In 1998, when Tonya Mitchell was 15 years old, she was discovered at a benefit for St. Jude's Hospital. Even though Tonya Mitchell sang with a cold, when she finished a man came up to her and said he really liked her voice. This wasn't just an admirer from the crowd -the man was Justin Timberlake's grandpa. He told her who his grandson was and said that maybe he could help her. This was before the name *NSYNC brought girls to their knees so Tonya Mitchell didn't even know who they were. The encounter led to a meeting with Lynn Harless, Justin Timberlake's mom and head of Just-In Time Management. She became Tonya Mitchell's manager and eventually Tonya signed to Universal Records and was off to the studio to record her first album.

Tonya Mitchell Takes Off

The studio visits led to the release of Tonya Mitchell's album in April of 2001, called I Represent. The first single Broken Promises started getting airplay in January 2001 to promote the new album. One of Tonya Mitchell's best promotional gigs was opening some shows for *NSYNC. Not too shabby for an unknown artist just starting out.

Tonya Mitchell - Did U Know?

In 2003, Tonya Mitchell announced she was pregnant.

Lauryn Hill is Tonya Mitchell's fave singer.

Tonya Mitchell drives a Mercedes SLK 230.

Tonya Mitchell Says....

"When I saw the finished version of my record for the first time, I was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe this!' It was just the best thing in the world."