LaToya London facts for kids

Quick facts for kids LaToya London
Background information
Birth name	LaToya Renee London
Born	(1978-12-29) December 29, 1978 (age 46) San Francisco, California, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, jazz
Occupations	Singer, actress
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Peak Records (2005-2006)

LaToya Renee London, born on December 29, 1978, is an American singer and actress. She is known for her R&B and soul music. Many people know her from American Idol, where she finished in fourth place during its third season.

Her first album, Love & Life, came out in September 2005. It had several songs that did well on the R&B music charts. LaToya has also focused on acting in plays. She played Nettie in the national tour of the Broadway musical The Color Purple from 2007 to 2010. For this role, she won an Ovation Award. She also starred in the U.S. regional debut of The Bodyguard, a musical based on the 1992 movie.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

LaToya London was born in San Francisco, California. She grew up in Oakland, California. Her first public singing performance was at age 7, when she sang at her mother's wedding. She became interested in singing when she was just 4 years old. She often sang at Allen Temple Baptist church.

As a teenager, she sang with the Oakland Youth Chorus from 1993 to 1996. In 1996, she graduated from Skyline High School. Before American Idol, she worked as a waitress and bartender. She also sang in a Christian rock group. LaToya was a backup singer for several artists in the Bay Area. When she started American Idol, she was the lead singer in a band called All-Star Jukebox. This band usually performed at weddings.

LaToya London on American Idol

LaToya London tried out for the third season of American Idol in Los Angeles, California. Even though she moved through each round, she was not shown much on TV at first. Many fans did not expect her to do well before the live shows.

However, during the semifinals, she sang "All by Myself" by Eric Carmen. She received a standing ovation from the judges. Judge Randy Jackson called her performance "brilliant." Paula Abdul said she was "unbelievable." Simon Cowell said she was "the best of the group." She received the most audience votes in her semifinal group, with 32.3 percent. This sent her to the final 12 contestants.

In the next nine weeks, LaToya had many great moments on American Idol. Simon Cowell called her performance of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" "amazing." Paula Abdul said LaToya reminded her of "a young Gladys Knight." This was after LaToya sang the Garth Brooks song "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)." Nickolas Ashford from the famous soul duo Ashford & Simpson called her performance of "Ooo Baby Baby" "beautiful." Film director Quentin Tarantino called her a "powerhouse." Simon Cowell even called her "the best singer in the competition." He gave her a "ten out of ten" for her song "Don't Rain on My Parade."

American Idol Controversies

LaToya London was part of one of the show's first big discussions. On April 21, 2004, after the top seven contestants sang Barry Manilow songs, LaToya, Jennifer Hudson, and the winner Fantasia Barrino were in the bottom three. These three singers were called "The Three Divas" because of their amazing performances. LaToya had the most votes among the three, but Jennifer Hudson was eliminated.

Because all three singers were African American and strong contenders, music star Elton John said the voting seemed "racist." This caused a lot of news and talk about how fair the voting system was. Elton John said, "The three people I was really impressed with, and they just happened to be black, young female singers, and they all seem to be landing in the bottom three."

LaToya's second controversy happened on May 11, 2004. The final four contestants each sang two disco songs. Simon Cowell, who had called her the best singer, said his only complaint was that he still did not know much about her. Cowell also suggested that contestant Jasmine Trias would likely be voted off next. However, on May 12, LaToya was eliminated. She finished in fourth place. Fantasia Barrino was also in the bottom two that night. LaToya's farewell song was "Don't Rain on My Parade."

LaToya's Performances on American Idol

Here are the songs LaToya London sang on the show:

After American Idol

After leaving American Idol, LaToya London joined a voting campaign called Declare Yourself. This campaign encouraged young people to register to vote. Her appearance on Idol host Ryan Seacrest's TV show was very popular. The Mayor of Oakland, Jerry Brown, even declared May 4 to be LaToya London Day. A month later, she received the key to the city.

Her version of "If You Don't Know Me by Now" was on the American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics album. Many people said it was one of the best songs on the album. She also sang a lot on the group song, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

In the summer of 2004, LaToya toured with the other top 10 American Idol finalists. They performed across the United States, China, and Singapore. She also co-hosted the entertainment news show, Access Hollywood. She has performed at many events and parties. LaToya has sung the national anthem for several National Football League games. This included a pre-game party for the 2005 Super Bowl. She has shared the stage with famous artists like Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, Barry Manilow, and Gladys Knight.

In November 2004, LaToya signed with Peak Records. This record label was part of Concord Records, which was the last label of jazz legend Ray Charles. Her first single, "Appreciate," came out in July 2005. It featured a rap from Black Thought of the group The Roots. A music video for the song followed. The single "Appreciate/Every Part of Me/All By Myself" reached number eight on the Billboard Singles Sales Chart.

Her Album: Love & Life

LaToya's first studio album, Love & Life, was released on September 20, 2005. The album mixed R&B, soul, jazz, and hip-hop music. LaToya helped write some of the songs. Other songs were written by famous producers like David Foster.

The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper said her singing was "impassioned and polished." People magazine called it one of the best albums released by an American Idol contestant. Apple Computer's iTunes named it one of the best albums of 2005. Her song "Non A What'cha Do" was named one of the best individual recordings of the year.

Love & Life sold over 12,500 albums in its first week. It reached number 82 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. It also reached number 27 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. So far, it has sold about 58,000 copies. LaToya has also sold over 15,000 digital downloads of her music.

LaToya released two more singles in 2006: "Every Part of Me" and "State of My Heart." "State of My Heart" reached number 40 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.

LaToya London later announced that she had left Peak Records and Concord Records. She had an initial deal for three albums, but they parted ways. She has been writing songs for her second album and looking for a new record label.

In February 2006, she got a main role in the play Issues: We All Have 'Em. She sang a jazz version of "Hark! Hear the Bells" on the VH1 Soul Train Christmas TV special. She also sang the same song on a special edition of the 40th Anniversary A Charlie Brown Christmas album.

In late 2006, LaToya made her professional stage debut in Los Angeles. She starred in the musical Beehive at the El Portal Theater. LaToya and the show received great reviews. The cast was nominated for Best Ensemble Performance that year.

LaToya was a guest singer on Paul Taylor's album, Ladies' Choice, released in May 2007.

LaToya played Nettie in The Color Purple. This show started at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. LaToya finished her role in 2010. She was nominated for an NAACP Theatre Award in 2008 for best supporting actress.

Urban Punk and Recent Work

In 2010, LaToya London formed a group called Urban Punk with hip-hop artist H2O. Their music mixes Europop melodies with hip-hop rhythms. They have released two songs, "Around the World" and "Twisted."

In June 2013, LaToya joined the cast of the Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

LaToya has starred in several national tours. These include Redemption of a Dogg and Tyler Perry's Madea on the Run. She has also been in regional plays. She played Shug Avery in the Celebration Theatre's production of The Color Purple. She was the lead in the U.S. regional debut of The Bodyguard, a musical based on the 1992 movie.

Personal Life

LaToya London had to leave the VH1 Soul Tour because of a "family emergency." In July 2005, Ebony magazine named her one of the hottest African American single women in America. This led to talk about her marriage. While on American Idol, she had said she was married and had stepchildren. She later confirmed that she and her husband had divorced.

Politics and Campaigns

LaToya London took part in a political advertising campaign called Declare Yourself. This campaign encouraged young people to register to vote for the 2008 United States presidential election. The ads were created by photographer David LaChapelle.

LaToya also performed "Ain't Nobody" in Oakland on Election Day 2008. This was to celebrate Barack Obama's historic victory.

Discography

Albums

Singles

• Appreciate/Every Part of Me/All By Myself (August 2005)
• Every Part of Me
• State Of My Heart Number 40 Hot AC Tracks

Guest Contributions

• "If U Buyin'" (with C-Bo) (1999)
• "I Know You Want Me" (with H2O from "The Mixtape Vol. 1") (2004)
• "I Want to Show You" (with H2O from "The Mixtape Vol. 1") (2004)
• "Konfessions" (with H2O from "The Mixtape Vol. 1") (2004)
• With Okolo on "The "Real" Diamond N Tha Rough") (2005)
• "Keeps Me Movin'" (with Golden Sol), from The Golden Sol EP) (August 2005)
• "Keeps Me Movin'" (with Golden Sol from Keeps Me Movin' (Featuring Latoya London) EP) (August 2006)
• "Keeps Me Movin' (DJ Solomon's Baltimore House Mix)" (with Golden Sol from Keeps Me Movin' (Featuring Latoya London) EP) (August 2006)
• "Keeps Me Movin' (Ean's Disco Re-Rub)" (with Golden Sol from Keeps Me Movin' (Featuring Latoya London) EP) (August 2006)
• "Hold Up (Wait a Minute)" (with John Payne from The Journey) (October 2006)
• "Send My Baby Back" (with Donnie Williams and Park Place from [[Just Like Magic (Donnie Williams album}|Just Like Magic]]) (March 2007)
• "Funky Times" (with Donnie Williams and Park Place from [[Just Like Magic (Donnie Williams album}|Just Like Magic]]) (March 2007)
• "Just Like Magic" (with Donnie Williams and Park Place from [[Just Like Magic (Donnie Williams album}|Just Like Magic]]) (March 2007)
• "I Want To Be Loved (By You)" (with Paul Taylor from "Ladies' Choice (Paul Taylor album)") (March 2007)
• "ahh means ahh" (with aj from Worldwide) (March 2007)

Awards and Nominations

Ovation Awards

• 2012: Won the award for Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Shug Avery in the Celebration Theatre production of "The Color Purple: The Musical"