Toby Lightman
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|
Toby Lightman | |
|---|---|
 Lightman in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1978 (age 47–48)[1] |
| Origin | Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, rock, acoustic |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Toby Lightman is an American singer-songwriter. Her first album, Little Things, was released in 2004 on Lava/Atlantic. Her second album, Bird on a Wire was released in 2006.
Biography
[edit]Raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Lightman began playing the violin as a child.[citation needed] She was a member of the orchestra at Cherry Hill High School East and started singing when a friend urged her to join a vocal workshop class. The audience response to a solo performance in which Lightman sang a gospel version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" led her to pursue her talents as a singer after she graduated from high school in 1996.[2]
Bird on a Wire, Lightman's second record, was released on July 25, 2006, on Atlantic Records. "My Sweet Song" was featured near the end of the Boston Legal episode, "Desperately Seeking Shirley" while also featuring in the closing scene of the Bones episode, "The Maggots In The Meathead". It was also featured in the soundtrack to the movie P.S. I Love You. The song "Slippin'" appeared on ABC's Brothers & Sisters. Lightman performed the opening theme to Fox Sports' coverage of the NASCAR racing season with a song titled "NASCAR Love (Let's Go Racing)".[3]
Lightman received the 2025 SONA Emerging Songwriter Warrior Award, presented by YouTube Songwriters,[4] and serves as a governor of the Recording Academy's New York Chapter.[5]
Her tenth studio album, Stars, was released on May 29, 2026.[6] It is her second self-produced record. The album's first single, "Higher," was recorded by American Idol finalist Breanna Nix, whose version reached number one on the iTunes Country chart, the iTunes Top Songs chart, and the Billboard Christian Digital Song Sales chart.[7]
Albums
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US Heat. [8] | ||
| 2004 | Little Things | 200 | 14 |
| 2006 | Bird on a Wire | — | 30 |
| 2008 | Let Go | — | — |
| 2010 | Know Where I'm From | — | — |
| 2014 | Every Kind of People | — | — |
| 2019 | When the Lion Sleeps | — | — |
| 2022 | After All | — | — |
| 2026 | Stars | — | — |
Extended plays
[edit]| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Holding a Heart |
| 2015 | Holiday Lights |
| 2016 | Long Hard Day |
| 2025[9] | Vanderbilt |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Adult [8] | |||
| 2003 | "Devils and Angels" | 17 | Little Things |
| 2004 | "Everyday" | — | |
| "Real Love" | 35 | ||
| "Operator" | — | Non-album single | |
| 2006 | "Holding Me Down" | — | Bird on a Wire |
| "Sleigh Ride" | — | Non-album singles | |
| 2008 | "Waiting" | — | |
| 2010 | "Snow Day" | — | |
| 2018 | "Spaces" | — | After All |
| 2018 | "Breathe In" | — | |
| 2020 | "Begin Again" | — | |
| "I'm Comin' Over" | — | Non-album single | |
| "Ebb and Flow" | — | After All | |
| 2022 | "Help Me Get Over This"[10] | — | |
| 2023[9] | "Glow" | — | Non-album singles |
| "Let's Get Together" | — | ||
| 2024[9] | "Breathe In (The Ugly Cry Remix)" | — | |
| "Devils and Angels (Revisited)" | — | ||
| 2025[9] | "Higher" | — | Stars |
References
[edit]- ↑ Loftus, Johnny. "Toby Lightman – Biography – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ↑ Strauss, Robert. "In Person; More Than Getting By With Help of Friends", The New York Times, December 26, 2004. Accessed October 27, 2018. "The 26-year-old singer-songwriter from Cherry Hill is home for a visit... And her big coup was singing a gospel chorus of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' at Cherry Hill High School East, where she graduated from in 1996."
- ↑ "NASCAR Love (Let's Go Racing) – Single". iTunes. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Songwriters of North America Introduces 'Emerging Songwriter Warrior Award' Competition, Presented by YouTube". Variety. 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ "About". Toby Lightman. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Stars". Bandcamp. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ "About". Toby Lightman. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Toby Lightman – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 "MUSIC". Toby Lightman | Singer-songwriter. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". AllAccess. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Toby Lightman at AllMusic
- Toby Lightman discography at Discogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1978 births
- Living people
- American women singer-songwriters
- Atlantic Records artists
- Lava Records artists
- Singer-songwriters from New Jersey
- Cherry Hill High School East alumni
- Writers from Cherry Hill, New Jersey
- University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
- 21st-century American women singers
- 21st-century American singer-songwriters