Story & Lesson Highlights with Teri Tobin

Teri Tobin shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Teri, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. When have you felt most loved—and did you believe you deserved it?
Recently I traveled back to DC where I attended college and where I performed for the first time as an artist. I played a venue that was a bucket-list venue (The legendary Blues Alley) and it was a dream come true. I was surrounded by most of the people that were there all those years ago and for them to be present in my recent milestone made me feel so loved.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Teri Tobin. I am an award-winning soul singer-songwriter, mental health advocate and Arizona-native. I use my music as a vessel for healing, empowerment, and self-love. Like many of the soul greats I admire, training and early performances began in church yet I was also classically trained at Howard University. As a member of Howard University’s famed Chorale, I shared stages with Michael Jackson, Patti Labelle, Luther Vandross and Diana Ross at President Clinton’s Inaugural Gala. Also performing background vocals for Coolio, Joe, Chante Moore and the UK’s Soul Diva Mica Paris. My voice has been described as “smoother than wine, rich like butter, and goes down like honey.” A two-time Independent Music Award winner, a two-time nominee for the SoulTracks Reader’s Choice Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year, Josie Award Nominee 2025 and an InterContinental Awards Finalist 2025. Locally, I was a staple performer for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and NBA’s Phoenix Suns for six years. My debut single in 2011, “Free,” was a #1 hit in the UK and the Netherlands for several weeks. My highly acclaimed album, Forever, was released early 2025 and can be streamed globally.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My Godmother, Rev Lee Brown Rafe truly saw me before I could see myself and most importantly saw beyond how I thought I presented myself. Intuitively throughout my early years, she would randomly reach out to me saying that she had a “feeling” something was going on me with and wanted to check in on me.
She had a favorite song that she wanted me to sing at every occasion: Greatest Love of All, made famous by Whitney Houston. Each time she requested it, I would cringe because I didn’t feel like I sounded good singing it. It wasn’t until the day of her passing ( the last time I would sing it to her) that I understood the meaning behind the lyrics.

“I believe that children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I lived as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can’t take away my dignity

Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

And if by chance, that special place
That you’ve been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love”

By the time I got to the final stanza, I finally realized that it was never about how beautifully I could sing it, but that I connect with the lyrics to finding my strength in love.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I co-wrote a song on my current album called “Precious Little One” and it’s like a letter to my younger self. It shares things that I wish someone had said to me then. “….If adult me could talk to child me, oh I would go back if I could. I would take you by the hand…look you in those eyes tell your beauty is measured by what’s inside”

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
The cultural value that I hold deeply and protect at all cost is treasuring the time spent with my elders. On my album “Forever” I have to a dedication to my late great grandmother and celebrating the memories I shared with her (N.O.L.L.Y. aka No Other Love Like Yours) and another dedication to my now 98 year old grandmother (Thank You Enough). I feel blessed to have been able to spend quality time with them both. The things they endured during their lifetimes and yet be so poised and loving is mind blowing. There are such sweet memories of just sitting with them, chatting, laughing and hearing the stories they would tell. Definitely priceless.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing? 
I already regret allowing fear to prevent me to pushing myself sooner. There were opportunities that were presented to me some years ago that I didn’t pursue due to believing I wasn’t “good enough” so I didn’t even audition. One was an international residencies and another was an opportunity to perform with an already successful band.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TeriTobin.com
• Instagram: @iamteritobin
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/teritobin
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TeriTobin
• Other: TeriTobin.Bandcamp.com
  elasticstage.com/TeriTobin

Image Credits
Photo credits: JCC3 Photography(3) , Mike Quain Photo (1), Holly Byrd Miller(1) and others courtesy of The Tobin/Hinton Family