(Jamaica Observer) Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh has musical roots embedded in her native St Thomas. Her seven aunts and one of her uncles, reggae singer Prince Theo, have dabbled in music.
“Toni-Ann has been singing since she was about nine years old. We are from a singing family. Her mother Jahrine is my sister and she has a twin sister Irene, and both are great singers. All of my sisters [seven of them] can sing,” Prince Theo said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.
He added that Toni-Ann showed early potential to be a good singer.
“Her mother sent Toni-Ann to do piano lessons and study classical music. She can sing opera very well. From she was young, she loved music,” he shared.
Asked how he felt about her winning the Miss World pageant, Prince Theo said, “Mi feel so wonderful and great. When mi look at my niece who came from humble beginnings, to see what has happened now — it’s overwhelming. She grew up around nine females, so she had that female empowerment thing from a long time. She was always around women.”
Prince Theo, whose given name is Theodore Bailey, is from Bath, St Thomas, the family’s hometown.
“While she was competing in the Miss Jamaica World contest, she stayed with us here in St Thomas. She was between St Thomas and another aunt in Mandeville and one of her aunts from her father’s side, who lives in Kingston,” Prince Theo explained.
Toni-Ann, whose parents are devout Seventh-day Adventists, released two gospel albums during her teens. Prince Theo says he would like to do a song with her.
“How yuh mean? A collaboration with her is something that we talked about long before she entered any competition,” he said.
Prince Theo has been recording music professionally for 25 years. He has released one album, Set The Captives Free (released by Jet Star) and an EP titled So Splendid (released by VP Records).
Now working with New York-based Reggae Vibes Productions, he recently released the songs True Lover and Give Praises.
On Saturday, Singh became Jamaica’s fourth Miss World when she outperformed more than 100 young ladies to secure the crown and title. She also won the talent portion of the pageant and earned the opportunity to perform on the live telecast. Her rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing has been met with commendation from music industry professionals and the general public.
The 23-year-old is a recent graduate of Florida State University where she majored in psychology and women’s studies. She has also had formal training in violin and dance.
