I Ya Toyah

Born and raised in Lódz, Poland, Ania began her music education as a child, studying classical guitar, piano, vocal performance, and music theory. She moved to the United States as a young adult, and soon became a part of multiple musical projects, performing with metal, punk rock jazz, and prog rock bands in prominent venues across the US.

In 2016, she graduated as the valedictorian from SAE Institute, where she focused on Music Business and Audio Engineering. In 2017, she began working at her home studio on her solo project, I Ya Toyah, and her debut album, Code Blue, was released independently on Oct. 26th, 2018.[11] True to her motto, she spent the majority of 2019 “spreading the disease of music and infecting the human race”[12] by touring.

In 2020, she was scheduled to tour the US and Canada as direct support for Stabbing Westward, but it was postponed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] The lockdown was spent creating new material for her EP, Out Of Order, and collaborating with various artists. In February / March 2022 I Ya Toyah embarked on an East Coast US Tour, promoting her new material in live settings.[14]

I Ya Toyah's music has been remixed by artists, including Skold (Marilyn Manson, Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM, Motionless in White),[15] Gopal Metro (the co-founder of the Gothic Rock band, Bella Morte),[16] Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Conjure One),[17] Adoration Destroyed,[18] and The Joy Thieves[19] (See full discography below.)

In 2019 I Ya Toyah recorded music with artists such as Julian Beeston (Nitzer Ebb, Cubanate), Max Fox (Zwaremachine), Indign, and Traumabond. That year she also became a member of The Joy Thieves, a post-industrial super group that includes current, former, and touring members of bands such as Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface, Marilyn Manson, Stabbing Westward, Nitzer Ebb, KMFDM, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Blue October, 16VOLT, and more.[20]

In March 2020, she also started working as a composer, alongside movie director, Ralph Klisiewicz, creating the score for a short film called The Artifact.[21]

As a suicide loss survivor, I Ya Toyah advocates for the importance of mental wellness, and ending the stigma that surrounds mental illness.[22] During her live performances, she often talks about mental health with her audience, communicating the significance of breaking the stigma. Her ‘Code Blue’ album focuses on mental health and suicide prevention, and 15% of all proceeds go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).[23] In July 2020, she organized an Art Auction for Mental Health During the Times of Pandemic. Artists from across the US created and donated art pieces that were inspired by her lyrical content, and all the proceeds aided the AFSP.[24] In December 2022 I Ya Toyah released a self-funded line of suicide prevention and mental health wristbands promoting 988 Crisis Line, available for free with free shipping across the USA.

In April 2019, I Ya Toyah released a single and a video titled Forbidden Bark, which featured her dog, Benek. The release was used as a platform to raise awareness for charity organizations that focus on fighting animal cruelty.[25] Benek was featured again in May 2022 as I Ya Toyah performed a live streamed show during Goths For Sanctuaries Festival[26] raising money for animal sanctuaries around the world.

In 2020, her song Funeral for Love was selected to be a part of ESA (Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music to Cure Cancer) compilation released by Metropolis Records/Distortion Productions. This version of the song, featuring Traumabond[27] appeared on this release, alongside bands such as Ego Likeness, The Clay People, Leæther Strip, Angelspit, <PIG>, Die Warzau, Caustic, God Module, Skatenigs, and Cyanotic.

In Spring 2022 I Ya Toyah participated in the recording of a version of the Beatles’ classic Come Together[28] to raise funds for the people of the war-torn country of Ukraine. The project[29] named Lifeline International was arranged and mixed by legendary music producer John Fryer, who has worked with such seminal bands as Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, and Cocteau Twins. Participants included members of Faith No More, Stabbing Westward, Ministry, Rammstein, Filter, THE HARDKISS, The Joy Thieves, Agnostic Front, Basement Jaxx, and more.

2023 brought I Ya Toyah to Dark Force Fest in New Jersey, after which she embarked on month long West Coast tour, followed by a tour as a direct opener for Stabbing Westward later in the year. She closed the concert season performing a headlining set at Dark City Festival in new Orleans. In October 27th she released a Panic Room single, produced with Walter Flakus of Stabbing Westward. The single is one of many songs leading to a full album release in 2024.

• Official website