Lauren Toyota

Biography

Lauren Toyota, a self-proclaimed TV junkie and obsessive music fan from Mississauga, Ontario native, brings her incredible music knowledge and skills in production to the MuchMusic team. Realizing her passion for music and entertainment at an early age, Lauren attended Durham College achieving her diploma in Entertainment Administration. After college, Lauren moved to Vancouver to start her career in television, quickly establishing herself as one of the most recognizable media personalities and music authorities on the West Coast.

She spent two years honing her skills as a host and producer at RAZER’s youth and lifestyle magazine show, 969. Lauren was also host of the musically driven TV series ETHNOSONIC, the west coast correspondent for FASHIONTELEVISION, and served as a guest expert on CFUN 1410. She’s also no stranger to a red carpet, having conducted countless interviews at THE JUNO AWARDS, The Toronto International Film Festival, and the MuchMusic Video Awards.

Lauren’s honest, open-minded approach and charming personality has landed her some A-list interviews and helped her win over some of the biggest names in entertainment, such as Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper, comedian Seth MacFarlane, NHL pro Jeremy Roenick, and fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg.

Interview

What music are you listening to these days?

I find myself constantly going back to listening to a lot of hip hop, some older hip hop, like A Tribe Called Quest, or Gangstarr, and also conscious Hip Hop: Common, Mos Def, Blackstarr, or the new Lupe album. Because of that I find myself interested in a lot of new hip hop, like Wiz Khalifa, or Odd Future.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

You should definitely vote, even if it doesn’t make sense to you when you turn 18, because I think that’s your time to start delving into politics, at least learning what you can that’s relevant to your life. Even if you don’t know who to vote for, just go vote, so that you get used to doing it. This encourages you to pay more attention as you get older, as the issues become more relevant to your life and where you live. You’ll be more inclined to go vote and make those decisions for the rest of your life, if you start when you’re 18.

For you, is there a connection between art and democracy? What might that look like?

I grew up listening punk bands where a lot of their music was politically fueled, and there was always a message behind the music. It’s the same with Hip Hop; that was something I’ve always noticed, and I feel like artists take that opportunity to have a voice and talk to lots of people. they can say what they want and influence young people a lot.

Why do you care about your community when it’s so easy not to?

Well, it’s easy not to care about anything, but to be that person who doesn’t care about anything is kind of crappy. I care about a lot of things, especially the community I live in, and the community that I grew up in, and how it’s going to regress. I care a lot the community as it relates to art and music, and education, I just don’t see how someone could not care.

What do you look for in a politician, and what do you expect from your MP?

Someone who is honest and trustworthy. Someone that you can trust will follow through on their promises. I look for someone who shares, as closely as possible, the same values and beliefs that I have and someone who has strong platforms on the issues that concern me, and follows through with that plan after campaigning and elections are over. I would also want someone who seems genuine and likable as a person.

What causes do you actively support?

I support Musicounts (www.musicounts.ca), which is all about keeping music alive in schools, and advocating to save arts education from funding cuts. Also, Covenant house is an important organization that works to combat issues of poverty and homelessness in Canada, expecially as it relates to you. With regards to general causes that I support,the issues that are important to me are those surrounding making a more green community and city, and on an individual level, how to improve my own life and be more environmentally conscious.


What is a simple action that you recommend youth take to make a difference?

There are a lot of ways to contribute to charities. You should find something you connect to and donate your time for a day or an afternoon as a volunteer, or figure out a way you can incorporate those efforts into your school activities. Bring those ideas to your school president or counsellor, and try and educate your peers about something you really believe in.

I will vote because ___________?

I will vote because I can.