London was raised in Oakland, California where she had her first public musical performance when, at the age of 7, she sang in her mother's wedding. Her interest in singing began when she was just 4 years old, she frequently sung when attending a baptist church, and her talent took off from there. As a teenager, she sang with the Oakland Youth Chorus from 1993 to 1996. In 1997, she graduated from Skyline High School (the same school where popular movie actor Tom Hanks and basketball player Gary Payton attended). She also worked as a waitress and a bartender and even sang in a Christian rock group, as well. She currently lives in southern California, where she is studying music.
London auditioned for the third season of American Idol in Los Angeles, California. A member of the third group of eight semifinalists, she was voted through to the final 12 contestants with 32.3 percent of audience votes.
On May 11, 2004, the final four contestants each performed two disco songs. Judge Simon Cowell, who previously endorsed her as the best singer in the competition, suggested that his only complaint with Ms. London was that after ten weeks he still didn't know anything at all about her. Cowell also suggested that contestant Jasmine Trias would almost certainly be voted off the next day. However, on May 12, in a result that came as a surprise to many, including the judges, London became the ninth of the 12 finalists to be eliminated, finishing in fourth place. American Idol judge Paula Abdul was in tears when LaToya sang her farewell song "Don't Rain On My Parade," and the other two judges, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell gave her a standing ovation.
In November 2004 it was announced that London had been signed to an imprint of Concord Records. Her first single "Appreciate" hit the airwaves in July with a video to follow. Her first album, Love & Life, was released on September 20, 2005.
The single reached #8 on the Billboard Singles Sales Chart and the album has sold about 55,000 copies thus far.
LaToya suffered a setback when she had to pull out of the VH1 Soul Tour with Jaguar Wright and Kindred due to a "family emergency". On the other hand, Ebony magazine named her one of the hottest African-American bachelorettes in America, sparking off speculation about the state of her marriage - while she was on American Idol she mentioned that she was married and had stepchildren. She later confirmed that she and her husband had, in fact, parted ways.
Most recently, Latoya released two follow-up singles, "Every Part of You" and "State of My Heart," the latter of which hit #5 on the radio industry periodical Friday Morning Quarterback's Adult Contemporary spin chart. In April 2006,"State of My Heart" spent a week atop the Idol Waves online radio Top 12 chart. In February 2006, she landed a lead role in Laterras R. Whitfield’s touring dramatic comedy play, "Issues: We All Have 'Em," also starring Angie Stone, Dave Hollister, and Kim Fields. The play recently ended its run; Latoya has been keeping busy with many singing engagements. She will make her film debut in "Hollywood Chaos," an upcoming movie featuring a multitude of reality television stars.
Anything
La Toya London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shine your shoes, anything
Lose your blues, make love to you
Take you under my wing, anything
For you, my hero, I'd do anything
Paint your picture, anything
Kiss your photograph even though I know you'd laugh
Stand beneath your wings, Oh, anything
And for you, my love, I would do anything
Kiss your feet and everything
Suffer your pain but I'd ride your train
Spread our tiny wings, baby, anything
And for you, my son, I'd do everything
Protect your mind from everything
I could read your lies, dry tears from your eyes
Spread your tiny wings, anything
'Cause everything is anything
And everything is anything
The lyrics of La Toya London's song "Anything" is a soulful declaration of devotion and care towards different people in her life. She sings about being willing to do anything for her friend, hero, love, and son. For her friend, she is willing to help him out in any way possible, whether it means shining his shoes, losing his blues or even making love to him. For her hero, she would do anything to honor him, including painting his picture, kissing his photograph, and standing beneath his wings. She then goes on to express her love, stating that she would kiss her love's feet and suffer his pain all while riding his train. Lastly, she sings about her son, willing to protect him from everything, read his lies, and dry his tears from his eyes. The song concludes with the line "Everything is anything and everything is anything," which seems to suggest that there is no limit to what she is willing to do for those she loves.
Line by Line Meaning
For you, my friend, I'd do anything
I am willing to do absolutely anything for you, my dear friend.
Shine your shoes, anything
I can polish your shoes to make them look shiny, and do literally anything else you ask of me.
Lose your blues, make love to you
I can help take away your sorrows and even make love to you if that's what you need right now.
Take you under my wing, anything
I will take care of you and protect you like a mother bird would for her babies, no matter what it takes.
For you, my hero, I'd do anything
I hold you in such high regard that I would do absolutely anything for you, my hero.
Paint your picture, anything
I can paint a beautiful picture of you, or help you paint one yourself, or do any other thing you'd like me to for you.
Kiss your photograph even though I know you'd laugh
I will kiss your picture, even if that seems silly, because it means something to you and that is enough for me to do it.
Stand beneath your wings, Oh, anything
I would gladly stand by your side, like a faithful companion or friend, and do whatever you ask of me.
And for you, my love, I would do anything
Because I love you so much, there isn't a thing in the world I wouldn't do for you.
Kiss your feet and everything
I'll be happy to shower you with affection and show you how much you mean to me, even by kissing your feet.
Suffer your pain but I'd ride your train
I can endure your pain for you, and support you through it - I'd even ride on the train with you during this journey you're on.
Spread our tiny wings, baby, anything
Together, we'll be strong, and our wings will take us to new heights and places we never thought possible.
And for you, my son, I'd do everything
I'll go to the ends of the earth to protect you and make sure you're safe, my dear son. Nothing is too much for you.
Protect your mind from everything
I vow to keep you safe from all the negative things in this world that could harm your mind, and offer support and guidance.
I could read your lies, dry tears from your eyes
I know you better than anyone else, and will always be there to comfort you when you need it most, or help you when you make mistakes.
Spread your tiny wings, anything
I will empower you to be strong, and will do anything it takes to help you find your own wings and soar high.
'Cause everything is anything
Everything, whether it seems big or small, important or not, holds meaning as long as it matters to the one you love.
And everything is anything
Everything - every moment, every action, every thought - can be turned into something meaningful when shared with those you cherish.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANNY MCCULLOCH, ERIC VICTOR BURDON, JOHN WEIDER, VICTOR BRIGGS, BARRIE ERNEST JENKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind