Toby Lightman is an American singer-songwriter. Her first album, Little Things, was released in 2004 on Lava/Atlantic. Her second album, Bird on a Wire was released in 2006.
Biography Raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Lightman began playing the violin as a child. She was a member of the orchestra at Cherry Hill High School East and started singing when a friend urged her to join a vocal workshop class. The audience response to a solo performance in which Lightman sang a gospel version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" led her to pursue her talents as a singer after she graduated from high school in 1996.Strauss, Robert. "In Person; More Than Getting By With Help of Friends", The New York Times, December 26, 2004. Accessed October 27, 2018. "The 26-year-old singer-songwriter from Cherry Hill is home for a visit... And her big coup was singing a gospel chorus of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' at Cherry Hill High School East, where she graduated from in 1996."
Bird on a Wire, Lightman's second record, was released on July 25, 2006, on Atlantic Records. "My Sweet Song" was featured near the end of the Boston Legal episode, "Desperately Seeking Shirley" while also featuring in the closing scene of the Bones episode, "The Maggots In The Meathead". It was also featured in the soundtrack to the movie P.S. I Love You. The song "Slippin'" appeared on ABC's Brothers & Sisters. Lightman performed the opening theme to Fox Sports' coverage of the NASCAR racing season with a song titled "NASCAR Love (Let's Go Racing)".
Lightman received the 2025 SONA Emerging Songwriter Warrior Award, presented by YouTube Songwriters, and serves as a governor of the Recording Academy's New York Chapter.
Her tenth studio album, Stars, was released on May 29, 2026. It is her second self-produced record. The album's first single, "Higher," was recorded by American Idol finalist Breanna Nix, whose version reached number one on the iTunes Country chart, the iTunes Top Songs chart, and the Billboard Christian Digital Song Sales chart.
Albums
Studio albums YearTitlePeak chart positions US USHeat.2004Little Things200142006Bird on a Wire—302008Let Go——2010Know Where I'm From——2014Every Kind of People——2019When the Lion Sleeps——2022After All——2026Stars——
Extended plays YearTitle2013Holding a Heart2015Holiday Lights2016Long Hard Day2025Vanderbilt
Singles YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum US Adult2003"Devils and Angels"17Little Things2004"Everyday"—"Real Love"35"Operator"—2006"Holding Me Down"—Bird on a Wire"Sleigh Ride"—rowspan="3" 2008"Waiting"—2010"Snow Day"—2018"Spaces"—After All2018"Breathe In"—2020"Begin Again"—"I'm Comin' Over"—"Ebb and Flow"—After All2022"Help Me Get Over This"—2023"Glow"—rowspan=4 "Let's Get Together"—2024"Breathe In (The Ugly Cry Remix)"—"Devils and Angels (Revisited)"—2025"Higher"—Stars
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