Meet Rania Toli | Jazz singer, composer and producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rania Toli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rania, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am originally from the region of Epirus in Greece, but I have been living in Boston for the last 3 years. I was born and raised in the small city of Arta. My background was not exactly a musical one, even though I did start classical piano lessons at a young age. Meantime, Arta was not a place that offered a lot of musical opportunities. I had to focus on finishing school and figuring out what I wanted to do. In the meanwhile, I began singing and really soon I was seeking opportunities to perform. Unfortunately at the time there weren’t many so I had to decide what I wanted to do after school. During that period Greece was going through a financial crisis and the music dream very soon collapsed. I instead studied as an Optometrist. Although I thought my journey with music was over, I began singing again and forming various bands. We started performing and for the next few years I managed to complete my studies, start taking voice lessons and perform with various bands at the same time. After I graduated I worked as a waitress, a barista, an optician and anything else I could do while performing and taking music lessons. I believe that the impact my background and upbringing has in who I am today is that I became very well prepared in facing difficulties and finding ways to overcome problems. I feel like every little step brought me closer and closer to my goals and led me to pursue a music career in the United States.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am not sure if it sets me apart from others but my managing skills are good. They are the reason I got this far. Managing my musical life and personal life hasn’t been easy. Especially because my music career in the US started when COVID hit. That was a very big challenge. Just like everybody else, my whole life went on pause and all my plans felt like they were never be accomplished. Again, getting where I am today was definitely not easy. I am still overcoming challenges since I am still at the beginning of my career.
I have learned many valuable lessons along the way. Most importantly how to become better at my art, how to adapt in my new life away from my country and family and most importantly how to stay focused and committed even when things get rough.
I would like the world to know that everything I do, I do it with love.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That’s a tough one haha! Favorite spots in Boston are definitely the Charles river where we always go with friends and sit by the docks, listen to music and have deep conversations. Favorite place to eat is a Greek restaurant called “Krasi” in the center of Back Bay. I know it sounds cliche a Greek loving Greek food but it is seriously amazing! For drinks Boston offers so many different and diverse places, from pubs to speakeasies, to jazz bars there is something here for everyone. One of the must-go-to places is the public gardens and the commons in Boston. Then visiting all the museums, the universities and colleges, Cambridge, the harbor, literally everywhere.
Whenever friends or family visit we always end up walking everywhere since Boston is also a very walking-friendly city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people that I owe my success to. Between family, friends, professors and fellow musicians I really owe my career so far to my aunts from Greece who supported me financially when I really needed it the most, my best friends who kept me sane when I was struggling as a Berklee student and my wonderful professors at Berklee College of Music, specifically Luciana Souza, Panagiotis Liaropoulos, all the professors from the Jazz Gender and Justice Institute at Berklee from the Contemporary Writing and Production department and also the Professional music department at Berklee and so so many others that were so kind to me and helped me in many ways. I can really keep namedropping forever but bottomline is I wouldn’t be here without my family, friends and professors.

Website: https://raniatoli2.wixsite.com/my-site

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rania_toli_music/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rania-toli-80013619b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rania.ranuko/?locale=el_GR

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzO3nFd6UnOxWtRWr3CDemA

Image Credits
Photos by Luiza Girardello and Elizabeth Friar Photography