Meet Tonya Nicole

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tonya Nicole.  

Hi Tonya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey to becoming the artist I am today is pretty long but I’ll do my best to keep it brief. I grew up in a super small town, Holly Hill, SC. 1 of 4 girls, no boys. My parents were big on religion; I’m a PK (preacher’s kid). We were very religious; could only listen to certain music, pretty much only gospel, but some jazz and Motown type artists. As a small child, I grew up singing in my father’s church, in choirs, and with my sisters. My sisters and I even had our very own little gospel group for many years until it slowly dismantled after we all went to college and went our separate ways finding our own paths. I’ve always loved music but ended up falling in love with Theatre as well in the 6th grade after attending a summer program at SC State University. It was called The Consortium of Fine Arts. I auditioned for the music program as a singer and got in but they also had Theatre, so I was introduced to live theatre and absolutely loved everything about it. Since then, it’s been music and acting for me. I attended the College of Charleston, majoring in Theatre Arts (Performance). I tried to minor in music but I could not bear it… it was just way too boring for me. After graduating college, I took a break from music and acting, got married to my best friend, and started a family. I was still doing a little acting but it wasn’t a major focus of mine, plus the Theatre scene back then in Charleston was not what it is today. Fast forward to around 2014, I started singing again, gigging with local musicians around Charleston doing cover songs and weddings. It lit that love of performing for me all over again. During that time, I was also a Theater teacher at an elementary school and middle school, so I was getting the best of both worlds; acting with my students during the day and singing on the weekends and summers. Let’s now fast forward to 2019. I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Chordoma. That made me rethink everything. I decided to leave teaching for the public school system to help eliminate stress and dedicated all of my energy to loving my family, friends, and performing; both music and acting. While living in Jacksonville, FL for 2 months as I received treatment for cancer, I had the opportunity to just BE and listen to my body and God. Just thinking back on that time…I’m so thankful for an amazing husband for taking such incredible care of me during that time. We realized, that nothing in life matters if you’re not 100% happy and doing what makes you happy. After treatments and getting back home to Charleston, I decided to do just that and focused on my happiness. I went back to my 1st love, music, and started writing original music, which I used to do when I was younger, but never did anything with it. I was also writing plays. I fell into a creative groove and just couldn’t stop. I was literally dreaming of songs. Before I knew it, I had so many songs and the ideas just kept coming. The writing was always an undercover passion of mine, but it was the pandemic that helped me really focus and gave me the time and courage to do it and share it with the world. The pandemic and my cancer diagnosis actually ended up being blessings for me. In the midst of what most would think of as “tragic” events, I had an awakening; A creative and spiritual awakening. All I can say is “God is Good”. I’ve never been happier. So, in 2020, mid pandemic, after having all these original songs, I reached out to a couple of my producer/musician friends and was able to create the music that’s out for the world to hear now. I released my 1st single ‘Limbo’, produced by TK (Thomas Kenney), in early 2021 and it did well, especially overseas. I recently released my EP #1996KindaLove a little over a month ago. It’s doing amazing in the states. It’s a project I’m super proud of because it’s dedicated to my 20something year relationship and marriage. Writing this project was extremely therapeutic. So… Today I’m Tonya Nicole the singer/songwriter and Tonya S. Williams, the actress. Gotta shout out to my Theatre home pure Theatre, the best theatre company around! Love them! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Because of my incredible support system, my journey has actually been a semi-smooth one. Of course, being diagnosed with cancer would seem like an obstacle, but I’d like to think of it as God making me stop for a moment because that was something I never did. Stop. I was always doing something… on the go, all the time. Being a wife, a mother, a teacher, and a performer doing a lot of meaningless gigs. But during that time of me stopping, or as I like to call it “sitting on pause”, I was able to stop and in turn, I found one of my true purposes in life. Now as an independent artist, just like all independent artists, getting exposure is the biggest challenge. I’m slowly learning the best path to gaining more exposure. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a singer/songwriter and actress. My style of singing and songwriting, I believe, sets me apart in a way. I’m rooted in gospel and jazz but fell in love with Funk and R & B Soul in my early teens and early adulthood. When I create songs, I seem to organically pull from almost all of those genres every time. It’s not planned or intentional, it’s just how my mind creates and hears where I want my songs to go. I love infusing a little of old school and the “newer” school vibe. My goal is to create a perfect blend and to always write songs and tell stories that matter. 

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking?
Yes. I decided to take a risk leaving corporate America and pursuing something more in my realm of study from college. I remember working for a bank, not being happy and one day coming home to my husband and literally saying, “I need to quit. This is not working for me. I’m better than this job.” I decided to go back to school to get my teacher’s certification because I wanted to do something I loved. My husband was a bit apprehensive because this instant change was going to impact our household income, but he supported me 100%. I started teaching theater, which allowed me to also pursue my other loves in my spare time; music and acting. That risk paid off in a major way. It was such a vital and necessary moment, in me finding my happy place and purpose. 

Contact Info:

• Email: tonyanicolesings@gmail.com
• Website: www.tonyanicolemusic@gmail.com
• Instagram: allthingstonya
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TonyaNicoleMusic
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCQWKrsbMtkuiNlTzhLuee7A/featured

Image Credits
Everett Zuraw
Myla Williams