Tonya Boyd-Cannon is set to make her ESSENCE Fest debut this summer and we couldn’t be more excited to have her! As she rises to the top of America’s heart as a member of #TeamAdam (Levine) on NBC’s hit series, The Voice, the Mississippi native, who later moved to New Orleans, is proving exactly what we knew all along– The power of her hometown talent will take her way beyond her local reach.
Here are 5 Things You Should Know About Tonya Boyd Cannon before she makes her debut at #ESSENCEFest 2015.
1. Tonya was raised in her father’s church and gained most of her vocal training by directing choirs growing up, behind the pulpit. Her range and tone is reminiscent of the world’s greatest Gospel powerhouses.
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2. Almost 10 years later, ESSENCE Fest performer still feels the effects of living life after Katrina and often compares it to the experience of soldiers who suffer with PTSD. Still, her love for her city is still strong and her international single, In New Orleans, reflects it in the most perfect way.
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3. Boyd-Cannon is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated and a loving mother of two beautiful and talented kids who were featured during her “Blind Auditon” on The Voice. She and her husband raise them in New Orleans, of course.
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4. Her first professional job as a singer was as a back up singer to Jean Knight, who is known for her hit, Mr. Big Stuff.
5. When she’s not directing a choir, enjoying time with her family or singing her heart out on The Voice, Boyd-Cannon uses her musical knowledge to train the world’s next great voices as a vocal coach in her own right.
If you want to get a taste of what Tonya will bring to the ESSENCE Fest stage, check her out on The Voice, Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC at 8/7c.
Don’t miss Tonya Boyd-Cannon at this year’s ESSENCE Fest! Click here to buy your weekend passes! Check out the rest of the Festival line-up here. Stay tuned to ESSENCE Festival for all things #EssenceFest! Join the #EssenceFest community by following us on Twitter @EssenceFest and Facebook.