Born in 1971 the late bloomer has the drive and potential of an earlier bird. Defying the odds is her claim to fame and her main mission in life. Because of an urge to sing and a passion to write, the singer/songwriter embarked on a quest for fulfillment in 2004 and is determination to exceed her expectations. Born Phil Fantonia Johnson to Jamaican parents in Bronx, New York, she is the middle child in a family of 5 children minus one (Rujah, bless her little heart) which would have made six. Being constantly ridiculed by other children for her odd name she adopted the name Toni to stop the criticism. She had inclinations that she was gifted in singing as a child but didn’t have the direction. Not really discovering her talent earlier on Phil aka Toni never new that she would some day collide with the music industry. She decided to pursue her dream one night while she was working the grave yard shift delivering the local newspaper. “There’s got to be more to life than this”, is what went through her mind. Relying on her God given ability to sing, she entered 3 local talent contests and lost every time. As a result of losing Toni picked herself up dusted her shoulders and began to write her own lyrics thinking if she was original she would get a better response. To enhance her vocal skills Toni hired a vocal instructor for a short period. Toni sought the help of a local recording studio and thus entered a recording booth in 2004 for the first time. This was the great mile stone in her career at the time. The thrill was short lived after recording a few demo but not knowing what to do with them. She sent them to a few elite record companies, but they were returned to sender unopened. After that rejection the wife and mother of 3 decided to turn a deaf ear to her own music until a late night call that changed her life. A local producer and CEO of a small record label; BlackMobbEntertainment, contacted her after getting her phone number off the internet. The two enter an agreement and thus a ray of hope warmed her vocal again. Toni’s creative mind allowed her to write the lyrics to Heaven (the story of her life) after being give a track provided by her producer, Keke. Soon, more tracks followed and more song were written. Until the completion of her debut album, “The Wait is Over” soon to be released in 2006. Until then and even after Toni continues to write for her second album already entitled, “A Girl Named Phil”. Toni style of music is derived from a gospel past and future. She is not ashamed in her belief and expresses it in many of her songs. The songs she writes is mainly about her past experiences and encounters. Which leads her to believe her first album should have been called A Girl Named Phil. Simplicity and true life encompasses her lyrics. Her album has a neo-soul/gospel/R&B feel to it and gives a fresh, new experience to someone seeking real music. Toni loves music and wants to share her music with the world. She is a serious contender in the music industry and exhausts every opportunity to let it be know. Look out for her website: agirlnamedphil.com (currently under construction) and www.myspace.com/agirlnamedphil.com. Toni is currently a Realtor® at Elite Real Estate in Killeen Texas but is very persistent in her passion for singing. She is constantly on the move performing in various events in her local area and even as far as Austin and Dallas. Participating in open mics and karaoke help keep her craft sharp. Songwriting for others, writing children’s book and acting are other areas that Toni feels she would love to pursue later, for now, she is interested in getting herself on the map. She is currently an unsigned artist that is seeking a major record deal. Two words that describe this singer/songwriter are AMBITIOUS and DRIVEN.