LaToya Smith

LaToya Smith was born on December 2,1987 in Cross, South Carolina, to Floyd and Patricia Smith (an electrical technician and secretary). LaToya has been singing (instinctively on pitch) since the age of four. Though known as that little singing girl, LaToya was also a natural musician (playing drums in church since seven). Her mother was supportive, but never persistent in LaToya's artistic development. LaToya, in fact, declined an opportunity to appear on the famed Showtime at the Apollo to instead seek the discipline of vocal training at age nine with June Bonner (also the vocal trainer of LaToya's friend and inspiration Quiana Parler). The commute from Cross to Charleston every week was extensive for a third grader and her mother, but it definitely proved rewarding as LaToya's voice matured from raspy and unclear, to a powerhouse of warmth, control, and clarity. At Holly Hill Middle School, LaToya began playing basketball for the B-Team and went on to become Ms. Holly Hill Middle even though she did not participate in the school chorus or band.The summer before beginning her freshman year at Holly Hill Roberts High School, LaToya had her first epiphany attending a summer arts camp in Interlochen, MI. Surrounded by peers from all walks of life, she realized her purpose and decided to pursue music with a greater dexterity. Upon returning to South Carolina, LaToya played varsity basketball and was voted class president during her freshman year. Still, she left Holly Hill Roberts in the middle of her sophomore year to attend the School of the Arts in North Charleston, SC in order to be closer to vocal lessons and the venues in which she'd begun performing.Now, after graduating from the School of the Arts in North Charleston and performing consistently in historic Charleston SC (also abroad), LaToya's professional resume is extensive. She is now headed to Manhattan, New York to attend college at Eugene Lang College and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music to attain a in B.A. Urban Studies and a B.F.A in Jazz Vocal.[to be continued]