We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Toby Lightman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Toby below.

Alright, Toby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I have been a professional recording artist for over 20 years, and had the pleasure of working with many prolific producers in the music business, most of which were men. As a woman and a songwriter, I never felt fully comfortable sharing my lyrics, let alone with older male producers, regardless of their success. The studio should be a safe space to share feelings and to capture your talent in its most genuine form. However, I never felt that the producers around me, understood, let alone connected to my songwriting. I was a 20 year old woman and they were 50 years and older!

When I left the label and began my journey to start a family, it proved hard for me to get pregnant. I wrote a few songs about the emotional roller coaster ride I was on. When it came time to explore producing these songs, I couldn’t think of one producer from my past to share these songs with. So I sat down one day and started to teach myself. I had already known how to record my vocals as I had become familiar with the studio standard recording software Protools. However, I never delved into recording and playing all of the instruments that went into building a track. I spent 4 years searching through sounds and getting familiar with how to support my voice in a record. My only wish is that I had started sooner! Although, I’m not sure I would have had the confidence or the wherewithal to sit and spend the time needed. Only 5% of music producers in this industry are women and I am now determined to raise that number!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a singer songwriter producer who never knew she was. I grew up getting classically trained on the violin simply because my mom could tell that I had rhythm. I then went on to sing in high school choirs and came to teach myself guitar in college. I never thought I would pursue music as a career because that’s just not what you do for a job! But when I graduated from college, I decided. to treat music as I would a job, I sent around demos like it was a resume.. I ended up getting a major label deal on Lava Atlantic Records only a year out of college! At the time, I was writing angsty pop acoustic music and that took me to where I am now. My debut album “Little Things” landed on the Billboard Top 100 and my single “Devils and Angels” played on the radio for over 20 weeks in the Top 20. I went on to tour with artists like Rob Thomas, Jewel, Train and was even sought out by Prince to open for him!! That night I could have stopped right there, but his advice to me was long lasting. He told me, you don’t these producers, these managers, the label.. You can do it all on your own. You’re good enough. That stuck with me and now I’m producing my own albums with no manager and haven’t missed a step!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first started writing songs, I had little to no confidence about the words that I put to paper. I had a major record deal and only 3 songs written, so every song counted. I needed them to work! However, I had one song that I just couldn’t finish.. my producer offered to help.. my boyfriend at the time offered to help.. I refused to let anyone in on a song that, in my opinion, encapsulated my insecurity for writing. I needed to finish it on my own. When it was time to pick the last songs for the album, I hustled to finish the song. I spent days sitting there and finally finished it and felt great about it! It ended up being a 3 year process for just that one song. When I brought it into the studio and played it for my producer, he looked at me and said.. maybe it didn’t have the potential that I thought.. He didn’t think it was good enough to be on the album. I was beyond distraught. I thought it was the best song I’d ever written.
When it came time to finalize the songs, I got a call from the president of the label. He said, do you want that song on or off.. I mustered up my courage and said, on. That song is called “Everyday” and it’s by far, my fans favorite song off that album. I’ve gotten so many messages from listeners saying how “Everyday” had helped them get through tough times to even tattooing the lyrics! That song even went on to being placed on the Fox Tv show “Bones”. What that taught me was, nobody knows your feelings better than you.. and if you create from a genuine place, that’s truly YOU, others will connect. Follow your gut and don’t worry about what anyone thinks because you’ll be better for it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about being a creative is getting to be a part of magic everyday. Creating music or any art is literally pure magic. I don’t know how I start one moment without a song and an hour later, I have a full song written. It pours out of me if I let it. The most important lesson I learned from being a creative is to just let it happen. You can’t force it.. you can’t put too much pressure on it.. and by all means, don’t hope for money to come from it.. but if you let it happen naturally, it can be the most gratifying feeling there is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tobylightman.com
• Instagram: @tobylightman
• Facebook: @tobylightman
• Youtube: @therealtobylightman
• Soundcloud: @tobylightman
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3BDyPnpEAyd6kFM1Wgpdgz?si=0N4FGBkBR7iGTkyc7z-ctw

Image Credits

photo #1 Brooke Straiton
photo #2-4 Will Hunt