Toya Alexis

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Toya Alexis is a Canadian R&B vocalist hailing from the Greater Toronto Area. She won a "Rising Star" contest and sang at the Apollo theatre. She first came into the Canadian consciousness as a contestant on the first season of Popstars, a popular show that played on Global, and also had an American version on the WB. She did not win, but was featured on the debut album of the winners, who were dubbed Sugar Jones.

She next was seen as a contestant on the first season of Canadian Idol in 2003, reaching sixth place in a controversial decision as she was widely considered the best singer of the six. Paralleling the controversy on American Idol, the week Toya was voted off, she and the only other African-Canadian were included in the bottom three, which sparked talk of racially charged voting.

She was subsequently offered a recording contract, and released her first single, the Top 40 hit "Am I Loving?", in 2004. She also appeared as a guest vocalist on recordings by several other Canadian artists. Her full-length debut album, S.O.B. Story, was released in August on Canadian Idol judge Farley Flex's label, Plasma. To date, "S.O.B. Story" has sold 159,000 copies, making Toya Canadian platnium. She began touring with Esthero, a popular Canadian trip-hop artist, and was showcased with Esthero on Jimmy Kimmel Live show in the United States. Throughout November and December of 2005, she is a featured cast member as "Mabel" in the Canstage show Crowns, playing at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto.

Her other stage credits have included Doo Wop to Motown (Theatre on the Grand), Once on This Island (Stirling Festival Theatre), Rainbow World (Bathurst Street Theatre) and The Good Times are Killing Me (Royal Alex Theatre).