Recording Artist Latoiya Williams: Using Music to Celebrate Life

by Cyrus Webb

We have always heard that seeing is believing, but I think LaToiya Williams might just prove that wrong.

She has become a respected voice in the music industry before really being heard. It was her skills as a songwriter that got the attention of industry insiders and made her one of the go-to people in the business.

This year, however, that is changing as she releases not only her new single THIS LOVE IS SWEET but begins to promote her upcoming album. I had the opportunity to catch up with LaToiya on Conversations LIVE and asked her about the experience and the response to her lyrical abilities.

"It can be a bit overwhelming," she told me, "but it keeps me humble. I just want to give good music to my fans." And her fans definitely appreciate it. It is obvious that her words are a gift, one that she doesn't mind sharing.

So how did this all begin? Latoiya told me that she was singing her first song at the age of two, but it was at the tender age of four that she knew this was what she wanted to do. "I was going around the house singing and singing in the choir," she says. The dedication to it paid off, and at the age of fifteen she was singing background for Yolanda Adams. The rest as they say is history.

Latoiya says it is her faith in God and in her gift that has been the key to her longevity. "Being true to your gift and your character speaks a lot for itself," she relates. "My mother raised me to have respect for myself and other people. That, and the believe in my craft has kept me here Without God I would have given up a long time ago."

Among those who LaToiya associates with on a regular basis are the people who support her career, namely her family, friends and fans. I was surprised to learn, though, that the idea of fans was something somewhat new to the artist. "I honestly didn't know I had fans until Youtube," she says with a laugh. "To go online and see all of the responses...it's like wow! You can get stuck in a studio and you don't see the outside. Thanks to the internet I am able to communicate with my fans and see I have people out here who loved me and wanted me to keep going. If I have all those people pulling for me I don't want to let them down. It's because of them that I am still making music."

For LaToiya Williams music is more than just about the recognition. It's about what is your real motivation. "Regardless of if I don't get a Grammy or an award I'm going to keep singing," she says. "I have always been a firm believer that you don't have to sell yourself in order to get whatever God has for you. Focus on your craft and not the glitz and the glamour. That is the key to real success."

If THIS LOVE IS SWEET is any education, LaToiya has the keys needed to continue open doors for her career. Stay in contact with her and what's next at www.latoiyawilliams.com.