Reigning Miss World Toni-Ann Singh turned 26-years-old today. She was born in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, Jamaica in 1996 to an Indo-Caribbean father Bradshaw Singh and African-Caribbean mother Jahrine Bailey. The family migrated to United States of America when Singh was just 9 years of age and has lived in Florida since.
Standing 167 cm tall, Singh graduated with a degree in women’s studies and psychology from Florida State University and has aspirations of becoming a medical doctor in near future. She is also well versed in English and Jamaican Creole.
Before her reign began, the queen acted as a member of the Caribbean Students Association on her college campus. It was during this time that she met judge and Miss Jamaica World 2005 Terri-Karelle Reid, who encouraged her to enter the Miss Jamaica World competition. At Miss Jamaica pageant, Singh took home the Best Talent, Most Photogenic and Miss Personality title.
One can cite as many examples of the diva being a true believer in women empowerment as they want. From her studies to her reign, Singh has inspired and supported hundreds of women from all walks of life.
During the final 5 question and answer round at Miss World 2019, Toni was asked, “Why should you win the title of Miss World 2019?” to which she answered, "I think I represent something special...a generation of women who are pushing forward to change the world. I don't consider myself better than any other girls on the stage, but I will say that my passion for women and making sure that they have had the same opportunities that I have had, is something that sets me apart.”
“I think that in the future I would like to use this platform, and the power of it, to create some real change. Not just for the women of Jamaica, but for the women of the world. I know I have found my purpose, and I’m really happy to have found it,” shared Toni talking about her purpose.
In her free time Toni enjoys cooking, vlogging, volunteering and singing. She has been training in classical music since she was a child and is perfectly capable of mesmerizing you with her classical opera performances. She earned a direct entry into the Top 40 by winning the Talent round with her singing prowess and received a resounding applause from the audience for singing Whitney Houston's hit ‘I Have Nothing’ in the finale.
By succeeding Miss World 2018 Vanessa Ponce de Leon, she became the fourth contestant of Jamaican descent to win the title of Miss World. The other three are Carol Joan Crawford, Cindy Breakspear and Lisa Hanna who walked away with the title in 1962, 1976 and 1993 respectively. She is also the longest reigning Miss World in the history of the pageant.
Here’s to our queen turning a new leaf in life! Happy Birthday Toni!