Tonya Mitchell

Tonya likely surprised a lot of people with her debut, I Represent, an R&B-tinged pop tour de force. That Tonya, who comes from tiny Huron, Tennessee, has gotten this far without formal voice and dance lessons or the usual stint in the Mickey Mouse Club. Tonya has been singing since she was old enough to talk, startling her family by the amazing voice that came from such a young child. "Once my parents realized I could actually sing, they started putting me in talent shows," Tonya remembers. By the time she was seven years old, Tonya, the daughter of a homemaker mother and a famed local magician father known as Cowboy Louie, was recording makeshift demos at Barbara Mandrell's studio, and making her rounds at talent shows and county fairs in the south.

Tonya was discovered in 1998, while singing at a regional benefit for St. Jude's Hospital. "I had a cold that day, and I didn't even want to go," Tonya, who was then fifteen, recalls. "After I finished singing, a man came up to me and said he really liked my voice. He said Justin Timberlake from 'N Sync was his grandson, and that maybe he could help me. Tonya didn't think much would come of it, but the encounter ultimately led to a meeting with Just In Time Management's Lynn Harless, Timberlake's mother. Tonya eventually signed with Universal Records and in short order entered the studio to record her twelve-song debut.

Each track was recorded in two days-without the usual bells, whistles and massive layers of gloss that accompanies most pop releases. Remarkably, each track she recorded made the finished version without Tonya knowing how unusual that was." The release of I Represent serves as the end result of years of struggle and sacrifice. I Represent made a believer out of everybody: The disc brimmed with unforgettable pop tracks reminiscent of those by Tonya's heroines, Mariah Carey and Aaliyah.

Asked to be one of the opening acts for the *NSYNC* Pop Odyssey Tour in 2001 took Tonya's career to a higher level by making appearances at venue's with some of the worlds biggest acts today which included: Nelly, Boys II Men, Lil Romeo, Dream and Tyrese just to name a few. Things were looking very promising for the young Mitchell but things began to die down quickly. In early 2002, labels we're not returning calls or answering emails so her father took it upon himself to help her out, trying to get her back into the pop culture. Soon after, her father passed away and Tonya decided to take a much needed break. In early 2003 she got married and started a family, now after almost 4 years of silence she's breaking back into music with Brand-On entertainment, and as she says "doing it for her father".