Latonya Blige-Dacosta is a composer and singer who is best known as the elder sister of Mary J Blige a Grammy award winner and actress. Born in New York City, her childhood days were plagued with turbulence which prompted her to start writing the words her lips wouldn’t dare to speak. As a composer, she has written songs for high-profile artists including her sister, Mary.
While a lot is known about Mary J Blige, there is limited information about her elder sister who is a wife and mother.
Here are 10 Things You Should Know About
1. She is the First Child of the Family and was Born in 1970
Latonya Blige-Dacosta is the first child of the family born to Mr & Mrs. Thomas Blige on January 12 1970 in the Bronx, New York City, United States.
Latonya’s mother, Cora is a nurse while her father, Thomas is a jazz musician. The family lived in Savannah, Georgia for a few years before moving to the Schlobohm housing project in Yonkers, New York.
She has three other siblings Mary J. Blige, Bruce Miller, and Jonquell. However, while Mary shares the same parents as her, the others are her half-siblings.
2. Latonya Blige-Dacosta Had a Troubled Childhood
Latonya has had her tragedies in life. Growing up for her came with so many challenges and hurtful experiences. She witnesses her mother being physically beaten by her father without any form of mercy until he eventually left them when she was 5 years old. As a result, her mother moved to a Schlobohm housing project.
Although Latonya has never spoken about the issue, her younger sister revealed in her 2021 documentary titled My Life that growing up felt like a prison filled with so much hurt. She admits to experiencing serious depression following their new environment. As a result, she was exposed to alcohol, sex, and drugs as a relief to the pains she was feeling.
Also, they began to experience hardship and Cora her mother was cumbered with so much load and had to juggle several jobs to make ends meet for the family.
3. She Comes From a Family Of Musicians
Latonya’s singing talent can be traced back to her roots. As stated her father was a jazz performer who was known for playing the low pitch guitar. Even though she never explored singing, she was always writing songs as a way of escape from the circumstances that surrounded her.
On the other hand, her younger sister Mary found peace in singing and participating in karaoke which caught everyone’s attention and got her signed into Uptown Records in 1992.
Since then, she has lined up a catalog of success and has donned several awards to show for it. Mary has won the Grammy award 9 times, the American Music award 4 times and the Billboard Music Awards 10 times, and a host of others.
Another member of the family who is musically inclined is her half-brother Bruce Miller. He is a composer and rapper.
4. Latonya Blige-Dacosta Was Her Sister’s LongTime Manager
When Latonya’s younger sister, Mary started singing, one person who was by her side was her elder sister Latonya.
Not only did she stand in as a big sister, but she was her manager. She was in charge of all financial calculations as well as drafting out event plans for over a decade before stepping out to build her family and career as well.
5. She Possesses a Striking Resemblance as Her Famous Sister Mary J. Blige
Although it doesn’t appear as a rare coincidence for Latonya and her younger sister Mary to look alike since they are from the same parents, however, their striking resemblance could make them pass for twins. They both share the same lips and smile. Also, they have followed the same career path and are excelling in their rights.
6. She is a Composer
As started, Latonya is from a musical family even though she doesn’t do much with the mic her pen does the talking. She has written songs for her sister Mary and other artists including Faith Evans, Allure, Mariah Carey’s girl group, Case, and even Jennifer Lopez even though it wasn’t recorded.
Latonya has also performed some of her songs alongside these artists. She is known for Mary J. Blige Feat. Lil’ Kim: I Can Love You (1997) and Intimate Portrait (1990).
7. Latonya Blige-Dacosta Made a Career Switch to Music Career at 40
While many may consider Latonya’s start in music a little late, the gospel inspirational singer says 40 is the new 20 and 30 is the new 50. According to her, there are no limits to what one can achieve and age is not a barrier to success.
As the story goes, she had plans of putting together a gospel compilation album. For which she wrote several songs and was ready to get her favorite artist to sing them. However, on her arrival in Los Angeles for a meeting, she decided to play out the songs for her younger sister Mary J. Bling who immediately fell in love with the songs.
She convinced her elder sister Latonya to record the songs as her first album rather than getting other artists to do them. Be that as it may, Latonya yielded to her sister’s advice and released her first album ‘This is How I Feel” in September 2010. The album is made of 13 original songs which according to her is not a coincidence but an intentional act to disprove the claims that 13 is a bad number.
8. Is She Married?
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Yes, Latonya is married to her long-time boyfriend turned fiance and now husband XenosDaCosta. Details on how the pair met are not known however, we discovered that they started dating sometime in the early 90s and exchanged vows in a private ceremony which was witnessed by their family and friends on October 29 1993 and they will be celebrating 30 years of marital bliss come October 2023.
Latonya’s husband Xenos is a businessman, composer, and podcaster. There are not many details regarding his business except that he owns a shoe shop. As a composer, he co-wrote a song with his wife which was recorded by Mary J. Blige. The couple is also a proud parent.
Read Also: Kathryn Holcomb: A Look Into Her Career, Marriage, Children
9. How Rich Is She?
Latonya Blige-Dacosta makes her money primarily as a composer and singer. Although her net worth is still been reviewed at the moment, it’s not out of place to say that she is worth at least $5 million.
On the other hand, her younger sister has recorded great success throughout her career as an artist and actress. She has also earned several awards to show her proficiency. At the time of this writing, she is estimated to be worth $ 20 million.
10. How Latonya Blige-Dacosta Spends Her Free Time
When the 54-year-old is not writing a song or recording one, then she’s having a great time with her husband and kids. Latonya enjoys outdoor activities and family time as well.
