Tadia (pronounced TA – DEE – UH) Toussaint, who is just referred to by her first name ‘TADIA’. (born April 19, 1993) is an all-around eclectic, vibrant artist and storyteller who claims the titles of singer, songwriter, entertainer, media maker/ personality, and entrepreneur based in New York City. She turned her name into an acronym and even a motto that she lives by; Turning All Dreams Into Adventures. She released her debut single ‘Down Low’ in July 2019 with Grammy-award winning producer Jerry Wonda and Billboard-charting producer Jackson Chery.
Early Life and Education
Singing has always been a passion of Tadia’s, connecting with audiences of all sorts. The Juilliard[3]-alum returned to doing music full-time after obtaining a bachelor’s degree from CUNY Hunter College[4] and a masters’ degree in Journalism from the CUNY School of Journalism,[5] later renamed the Craig Newmark School of Journalism. Her original music is a fusion of soul, electronic, kompa[6], afrobeat and Caribbean giving you a true world sound.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to Haitian immigrant parents, there’s a reason why her sound is so diverse and heavily influenced by the many cultures that surrounded her. Her passion for music cultivated at age 9 when she’d sing at weddings, church events, concerts in school and later sang in a gospel band called ‘The Believers’.
She’s performed at Universal Studios, Blue Note Jazz Club, SOBs, Carnegie Hall, and has taken the interests of icons like Tony Bennett, Emeline Michel, and the late grammy-winning producer Teddy Vann. At the Juilliard School, she took private instruction studying trombone from Paul Redman and Weston Sprott. After playing the trombone for 9 years, she taught herself to play the piano. When pursuing her masters’ degree, she concentrated in Business and Arts and Culture.
In 2014, TADIA worked as a Production Assistant at CBS Sports working closely with talents Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. She began writing for the Haitian Times in 2014 as the Arts and Culture correspondent. She later traveled to Haiti for 2 months and worked remotely for them writing stories about healthcare, international affairs and dogs[7]
In 2015, TADIA started working at Brooklyn’s BRIC TV[8] working as a host for their music show B-Side, producer and editor for short documentaries to be aired on the local station and as digital content. She also reported and wrote for the Mott Haven Herald[9], a local Bronx newspaper and has had work published in the Gothamist[10].
In 2017, TADIA licensed her business Fembelle which has been in operation since 2014 servicing productions, TV stations and private events with all of their hair, makeup and styling needs. The brand is growing and becoming a staple in the mobile salon community. She also launched her production company OMG (Ouula Media Group) under which she has produced, directed and collaborated to execute various media projects including documentaries, music videos, and branded content.
TADIA joined the Chokarella media team in 2017, organized and produced their 32-episode series ‘New York Takeover’ where the lead journalist Carel Pedre interviewed trailblazing Haitians living in the tri-state region including Wyclef Jean, Jerry Wonda, Phylissia Ross, and Micheal Brun. She’s covered music festivals and events like Haiti Tech Summit.
In 2018, after connecting with music legend and super-producer, grammy-winning Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis[11], he has been serving as TADIA’s music mentor and business partner.
In 2019, TADIA joined VP Records digital team as a freelance media correspondent covering events and interviewing artists for their series ‘On The Riddim’.
TADIA still currently freelances as a media contributor to BRIC TV and VP Records.
MUSIC CAREER
RELEASES
TADIA is an independent artist working in conjunction with Jerry Wonda’s label Wonda Music [12]. In April 2019, they released TADIA’s first single ‘Down Low'[13] the music video, which she produced, premiered in July 2019.
TOURS
She opened up Michael Brun’s New York City BAYO show in June 2018 at Irvington Plaza, and Brooklyn stop in March 2019 with artists Maxwell as the headliner. In April 2019, she performed at a Fueled by Culture event with Wyclef Jean. She kicked off her summer tour performing at various venues across New York for Make Music NY. She performed in the Afro-Latino Festival. For Labor Day West Indian Parade, TADIA headlined on the first Haitian Mas Float Banboche Mas alongside Haitian-American artist Jessie Woo. She traveled to Miami in October to perform in Broward’s Miami Carnival.
TADIA has been featured in Haitian Times, Lunion Suite and Chokarella[14], three renown and respected media outlets within the Haitian community.
COLLABORATIONS
In 2019, TADIA produced and directed Adekunle Gold’s music video ‘Young Love’, which got over 1 million views on YouTube in less than 2 months. They are set to release a collab record in 2020. She also coordinated casting and was featured in Fabolos, Jeremih, and Davido’s ‘Choosy’.
PERSONAL LIFE
TADIA lives in Brooklyn, New York. She currently serves on the advisory board of Propelled Media Mentorship Program which is catered to provide resources and mentorship to women between ages 16 and
