Tonya Jean Mitchell (born August 21, 1982) is an American former pop singer.

Biography

Early life

Mitchell was born in

Madisonville, Kentucky Madisonville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States, located along Interstate 69 in the state's Western Coal Fields region. The population was 19,591 at the 2010 census. Madisonville is a ...

to "Cowboy" Louie and Paulette Mitchell. Mitchell grew up in Huron, Tennessee, a small town just north east of

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

. In 1998, Mitchell was performing country music at a regional benefit for St. Jude's Hospital when Bill Bomar,

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

's grandfather, heard the young teen sing. Excited by her voice, Bomar approached Mitchell and told her that Timberlake was his grandson and that he could help her break into the music industry. Mitchell did not think much about this, but later it led to her signing with Timberlake's management company, JustinTime Entertainment, and being managed by Timberlake's mother, Lynn Harless. Mitchell was later signed to

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

and entered the studio to record her twelve-song debut album.

"I Represent"

On February 27, 2001, a few weeks after recording her album, Mitchell's first single, "Broken Promises", hit the radio stations. The song reached #38 on the Billboard

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

chart. Mitchell released her debut solo album, "I Represent", on April 10, 2001. In 2001, Mitchell was asked to be one of the opening acts for the

NSYNC NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...

Pop Odyssey Tour. This helped her career as she began making appearances at venues and performing in front of large audiences. Mitchell shared the stage with acts that included

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...

Lil Romeo Percy Romeo Miller Jr. (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, singer, actor and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with his father, ...

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Tyrese Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American R&B singer and actor from Los Angeles, California. He signed with RCA Records in 1998, and released his debut single "Nobody Else" in August of that year. It peaked within the top ...

. After the tour ended, Mitchell performed at various radio shows throughout the United States, including a performance at the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

Retirement

In July 2001, Mitchell's father, Cowboy Louie Mitchell, died. Following the heartache of losing her father, Mitchell was dropped from

. She decided to step away from the recording industry to spend time with her family. In 2002, Mitchell married Jason Essary, a car salesman. They had a daughter named Scarlett in 2004.

Discography

Albums

* ''I Represent'' (April 10, 2001) Track listing # ''I Represent'' (Brian Kierulf; Josh Schwartz; Nate Butler) - 3:07 # ''Broken Promises'' (Dino Esposito; Scot Rammer) - 3:36 # ''Stay'' (Cheryl Yie; Gen Rubin) - 5:16 # ''You're The One I Want'' (Chris Liggio; Kimberly Leadbetter) - 3:03 # ''Place Like This'' (Greg Charley; Mark Mueller) - 4:35 # ''Wasted Breath'' (Dino Esposito) - 4:08 # ''Little Too Late'' (Brian Kierulf; Josh Schwartz) - 4:02 # ''I Don't Wanna Fall In Love'' (Denise Rich; Gen Rubin) - 4:47 # ''Only One'' (Denise Rich; Gen Rubin) - 3:32 # ''Turn Around'' (Denise Rich; Gen Rubin) - 4:39 # ''I Cry Real Tears'' (Linda Thompson-Jenner; Reed Vertelney) - 4:03 # ''Should I Stay'' ( Dave Katz;

Steven Wolf Steven Wolf (aka Wolf) is an American drummer, programmer, songwriter and music producer. His discography several numerous gold, platinum, and Grammy winning records. He has worked with a range of artists including Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, B ...

) - 4:02 Singles

References

External links

Tonya Mitchell Fan Club Tonya Mitchell Fan Club Myspace Page Official Tonya Mitchell Myspace Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Tonya American women pop singers People from Madisonville, Kentucky Singers from Tennessee Living people 1982 births People from Henderson County, Tennessee Singers from Kentucky Women musicians from Kentucky 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women