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Toni Braxton

 
Gale Contemporary Black Biography:

Toni Braxton

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singer

Personal Information

Born c. 1968, in Severn, MD; daughter of Michael (a utility company employee and minister) and Evelyn (a cosmetology instructor) Braxton. Married Keri Lewis (a musician); children: Denim Kole, Diezel Ky.
Education: Attended community college, business school, and Bowie State University.

Career

Singer. Also worked as a secretary and court reporter.

Life's Work

Toni Braxton's first effort at recording picked up where a generation of R&B divas had left off years before--launching her into instant stardom. Showcasing a rich contralto much lauded by critics, the Maryland native's namesake 1993 debut, Toni Braxton, won several industry awards and made her a household name almost overnight. One key to Braxton's success was the faith a famed producer team known for their hitmaking abilities had placed in her talents. Her collaboration under the wings of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid was a virtual assurance that her debut album, Toni Braxton, would go gold; it reached platinum instead. Critics deemed the singer the next Anita Baker or Whitney Houston, but Braxton, the daughter of a minister, dismissed the comparison. "I'm just a new singer who has been blessed to work with renowned producers," Braxton told Amy Linden in Essence in 1993 as her star began to rise.

Braxton grew up in Severn, Maryland, in a relatively prosperous household. Her father worked for a utility company, but was also a minister and deeply religious man; Braxton and her younger siblings-- four sisters and a brother—belonged to several faiths during their childhood as the Braxton parents searched for a harmonious spiritual fit. For a long stretch of her childhood, the Braxton family belonged to the Apostolic Church, a strict creed that dictated dresses for all female believers and no secular music. Braxton's mother, however, was an amateur opera singer, and gave her daughters singing lessons that they put to use in their father's church choir. Braxton also studied piano and composed her own songs.

When Braxton entered her teen years, the family became adherents of the United Methodist Church, a less conservative faith, and her father rescinded some of the strict rules. She was finally allowed to buy her first pair of pants--some Levi's--in the eighth grade, and she could listen to non-religious music such as Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder, two particular favorites. (She still had to sneak out of the house to watch Soul Train, though.) By the time she entered high school, Braxton had made up her mind she wanted to become a singer--a decision, she has admitted, that was partly the result of attending predominantly white schools much of her life. "I always wanted to fit in, but they [classmates] never accepted me," Braxton told Joy Duckett Cain in Essence. "So I said, 'One day, I'll show them.'"

While still a teen, Braxton talked her parents into letting her sing in a band, but one late-night performance caused her to come home past her curfew and she was forced to quit. After graduation from high school, Braxton enrolled in community college, then business school, and also worked as a secretary and court reporter. She decided on a back-up career as a music teacher, but had also formed a singing group with her sisters by the late 1980s. They entered talent contests and recorded one single, "The Good Life," as The Braxtons, she told Ebony writer Muriel L. Whetstone, the sales were so abysmal that she was certain no one outside the Braxton family had bought it.

Nevertheless, "The Good Life" got the attention of the famed Atlanta producers/label executives Edmonds and Reid. Braxton's voice lured them in particular, but they were wary of bringing another all-female group into the LaFace Records family since they had just signed TLC. (The Braxton sisters would later record their own album and serve as Braxton's back-up singers on the road.) Signing just Braxton in 1991, Edmonds--who performs under the name "Babyface"--recorded a duet with her, "Give U My Heart," for the soundtrack to the 1992 movie Boomerang; another Braxton single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home," also appeared on the release. The latter--a heartfelt admonishment to a straying man--had originally been offered to Anita Baker, who passed on it. Each song enjoyed success on the charts while Braxton was at work co-writing and recording several new songs with Edmonds and Reid for a full-length debut album of her own.

The self-titled album, Toni Braxton, appeared in 1993, became an immediate hit, and would eventually sell over nine million copies. As Essence's Gordon Chambers explained, at the time of Braxton's debut, R&B and dance was dominated by "tough, sexed-up .. .adolescence bubble-gum pop," in dramatic contrast to the sound and sentiments that came out of Braxton. "Her bluesy, hard-hitting, timeless R&B ballads about lies, deceit, and love gone wrong hark back to Billie Holiday," Chambers said. Reviewing Toni Braxton for the Village Voice, James Hunter also found much to praise. "That Braxton doesn't try to stretch her voice up toward the sacred jazz galaxies or demonstrate wild concert virtuosity on this debut doesn't make her music seem more calculated or any less soulful," Hunter said. "It brings home the real."

Braxton's Grammy-winning record included several introspective, brooding cuts, such as "Another Sad Love Song"--which would win the 1993 Grammy for best female R&B vocal performance--and "Best Friend." The latter track she wrote about a real-life experience that occurred a few years before when her best friend immediately took up with a recently-exited beau. Success was indeed the best revenge, and it was indeed sweet. "After I released [it], I heard through acquaintances that this ex-boyfriend wanted publishing rights," Braxton laughingly told Time writer Christopher John Farley.

"The things I sing about, women can identify with," Braxton explained to the magazine. "Although they're sad love songs, I always try to portray it like everything's going to be OK; I'm still strong." Furthermore, Braxton's lush voice limits her, in a way, from taking on the typical lightweight pop songs. In discussing the fact that her music seemed rather atypical of the offerings from other young, attractive African-American female recording artists--with their thumpy beats and lyrics that often celebrate sex--Braxton told Linden in Essence, "My voice is a lot older than I am. So, even though I might have enjoyed doing one of those hip-hop songs, I don't know if I could have, because of my mature sound."

Such smart-girl vibes in Braxton's music earned her legions of fans and made her a major star. With Secrets, released in the spring of 1996, Braxton took her time recording--"I can't record in the morning because I sound like Barry White," Braxton told Essence's Cain--and she and the LaFace team came up with a decidedly new, more upbeat sound. Farley found the transition a successful one. "The rhythms are forceful, dynamic, danceable," he wrote in Time. "These are the kinds of songs you can expect to hear booming out of car windows for the rest of the summer." The album, which met all expectations, featured a Grammy Award-winning number one single, "You're Making Me High," and earned a second Grammy for best pop female vocal performance for the much played "Unbreak My Heart." Additionally, the album won two American Music Awards for Braxton who also contributed a song to another hit soundtrack that year, Waiting to Exhale.

Braxton took a respite from the recording studio in 1998 to appear on Broadway in the lead role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast but returned at the turn of the millennium with a new album, Heat, in 2000. The album, like her earlier work, was an instant success, earning this chanteuse an additional Grammy for best female R&B performance for "He Wasn't Man Enough." Subsequent albums have included Snowflakes, More Than a Woman, Ultimate Toni Braxton, and Platinum & Gold Collection.

Braxton married Keri Lewis, the keyboardist for the group Mint Condition, on April 21, 2001. they have two children, Denim Cole and Diezel Ky. Braxton rejects the "diva" tag, and many of her qualities evoke a down-to-earth personality. She claims to love junk food, enjoys an occasional cigar, and never exercises. She is also known for her frugality. "Before I got signed, I read anything I could about the music business," Braxton told Chambers in Essence. The sad tales of the soul artists who became famous in the sixties and received little or no money because of bad contracts taught Braxton a valuable lesson. "So I made a point to know what was going on with me contractually.... I love what I'm doing, but I don't want to labor in vain," she added.

Awards

Braxton received three Grammy Awards for her 1993 debut Toni Braxton, including Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance with "Another Sad Love Song"; for her 1996 LP Secrets, Braxton won another Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for "You're Makin Me High") as well as Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Unbreak My Heart"); won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance of 2000 (for "He Wasn't Man Enough), Braxton has also received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for both records; she has also been presented with NAACP Image Award, several Soul Train Music Awards, and American Music Awards.

Works

Selective Discography

  • Selected works Toni Braxton, LaFace, 1993.
  • Secrets, LaFace, 1996.
  • Heat, LaFace, 2000.
  • Snowflakes, BMG Special Products, 2001.
  • More Than a Woman, Arista, 2002.
  • Ultimate Toni Braxton, LaFace, 2003.
  • Platinum & Gold Collection, LaFace, 2004.
  • Also recorded a 1990 single, "The Good Life," as a member of The Braxtons; as solo artist, contributed tracks to the soundtracks for Boomerang, 1992, and Waiting to Exhale, 1996.

Further Reading

Sources

  • Ebony, May 1994, p. 134.
  • Essence, December 1992, p. 50; April 1994, p. 60; May 1996, p. 94.
  • People, August 23, 1993, p. 19.
  • Rolling Stone, December 26, 1996, p. 190.
  • Time, July 15, 1996, p. 67.
  • Village Voice, August 24, 1993, p. 80; September 17, 1996, p. 60.

— Carol Brennan

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Gale Musician Profiles:

Toni Braxton

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Singer

Toni Braxton’s first effort at recording picked up where a generation of R&B divas had left off years before—launching her into instant stardom. Showcasing a rich contralto much lauded by critics, the Maryland native’s 1993 debut, Toni Braxton, won several industry awards and made her a household name almost overnight. One key to Braxton’s success was the faith a famed team of producers known for their hitmaking abilities had placed in her talents. Her collaboration under the wings of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid was a virtual assurance that her debut album, Toni Braxton, would go gold; it reached multiplatinum instead. In later years, her personal adversity provided fodder for the tabloids, but her subsequent triumph over financial and legal difficulties allowed her to regain her position as one of pop music’s reigning stars.

Braxton grew up in Severn, Maryland, in a relatively prosperous household. Her father worked for a utility company, but was also a minister and deeply religious man. Braxton and her younger siblings—four sisters and a brother—were members of a number of faiths during their childhood as the Braxton parents searched for a harmonious spiritual fit. For a long stretch of her childhood, the Braxton family belonged to the Apostolic Church, a strict creed that dictated dresses for all female believers and no secular music. Braxton’s mother, however, was an amateur opera singer, and gave her daughters singing lessons that they put to use in their father’s church choir. Braxton also studied piano and composed her own songs.

Decided to Become a Singer
When Braxton entered her teen years, the family became adherents of the United Methodist Church, a less conservative faith, and her father rescinded some of the strict rules. She was finally allowed to buy her first pair of pants—some Levi’s—in the eighth grade, and she could listen to non-religious music such as Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder, two particular favorites. (She still had to sneak out of the house to watch Soul Train, though.) By the time she entered high school, Braxton had made up her mind she wanted to become a singer—a decision, she has admitted, that was partly the result of attending predominantly white schools much of her life. "I always wanted to fit in, but they [classmates] never accepted me," Braxton told Joy Duckett Cain in Essence. "So I said, ‘One day, I’ll show them.’"

When she was still a teenager, Braxton talked her parents into letting her sing in a band, but one late-night performance caused her to come home past her curfew and she was forced to quit. After graduation from high school, Braxton enrolled in community college, then business school, and also worked as a secretary and court reporter. She decided on a back-up career as a music teacher, but had also formed a

singing group with her sisters by the late 1980s. They entered talent contests and recorded one single, "The Good Life," as The Braxtons, but, she told Ebony writer Muriel L. Whetstone, the sales were so abysmal that she was certain no one outside the Braxton family had bought it.

Nevertheless, "The Good Life" got the attention of the famed Atlanta producers/label executives Edmonds and Reid. Braxton’s voice lured them in particular, but they were wary of bringing another all-female group into the LaFace Records family since they had just signed TLC. (The Braxton sisters would later record their own album and serve as Braxton’s back-up singers on the road.) Signing just Toni Braxton in 1991, Edmonds—who performs under the name "Baby-face"—recorded a duet with her, "Give U My Heart," for the soundtrack to the 1992 movie Boomerang; another Braxton single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home," also appeared on the release. The latter—a heartfelt admonishment to a straying man—had originally been offered to Anita Baker, who passed on it. Each song enjoyed success on the charts while Braxton was at work co-writing and recording several new songs with Edmonds and Reid for a full-length debut album of her own.

Had Immediate Hit with Toni Braxton,
The self-titled album, Toni Braxton, appeared in 1993, became an immediate hit, and would eventually sell over nine million copies. As Essence’s Gordon Chambers explained, at the time of Braxton’s debut, R&B and dance was dominated by "tough, sexed-up adolescence bubble-gum pop," in dramatic contrast to the sound and sentiments that came out of Braxton. "Her bluesy, hard-hitting, timeless R&B ballads about lies, deceit, and love gone wrong hark back to Billie Holiday," Chambers declared. Reviewing Toni Braxton for the Village Voice, James Hunter also found much to praise. "That Braxton doesn’t try to stretch her voice up toward the sacred jazz galaxies or demonstrate wild concert virtuosity on this debut doesn’t make her music seem more calculated or any less soulful," Hunter opined. "It brings home the real."

Braxton’s Grammy-winning record included several introspective, brooding cuts, such as "Another Sad Love Song"—which would win the 1993 Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance—and "Best Friend." The latter track she wrote about a real-life experience that occurred a few years before when her best friend immediately took up with a recently-exited beau. Success was indeed the best revenge, and it was sweet. "After I released [it], I heard through acquaintances that this ex-boyfriend wanted publishing rights," Braxton laughingly told Time writer Christopher John Farley.

"The things I sing about, women can identify with," Braxton explained to the magazine. "Although they’re sad love songs, I always try to portray it like everything’s going to be O.K.; I’m still strong." Furthermore, Braxton’s lush voice limits her, in a way, from taking on the typical lightweight pop songs. In discussing the fact that her music seemed rather atypical of the offerings from other young, attractive African-American female recording artists—with their thumpy beats and lyrics that often celebrate sex—Braxton explained to Linden in Essence, "My voice is a lot older than I am. So, even though I might have enjoyed doing one of those hip-hop songs, I don’t know if I could have, because of my mature sound."

Such smart-girl vibes in Braxton’s music earned her legions of fans and made her a major star. With Secrets, released in the spring of 1996, Braxton took her time recording—"I can’t record in the morning because I sound like Barry White," Braxton told Essence’s Cain—and she and the LaFace team came up with a decidedly new, more upbeat sound. Farley found the transition a successful one. "The rhythms are forceful, dynamic, danceable," he wrote in Time. "These are the kinds of songs you can expect to hear booming out of car windows for the rest of the summer." The album, which met all expectations, featured a Grammy Award-winning number one single, "You’re Makin’ Me High," and earned a second Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for the much played "Unbreak My Heart." Additionally, the album won two American Music Awards for Braxton who also contributed a song to another hit soundtrack that year, Waiting to Exhale.

Struggled Financially
In the midst of all the success and recognition Braxton received in the first five years of her musical career, it came as a surprise that Braxton ended up filing for bankruptcy. In December of 1997, citing Section 2855 of the California Labor Code, a statute that limits the length of personal service contracts to seven years, Braxton filed suit against her record label, LaFace Records. Braxton claimed that her agreement with them had been invalid as of August of 1996. LaFace and Arista countersued in New York’s Supreme Court, alleging that Braxton had breached her contract. On January 23, 1998, in a Los Angeles court, Braxton filed for Chapter 7 protection.

According to Entertainment Weekly, in late December, Braxton was informed that what she thought was a $600,000 line of credit from the Republic Bank was already used to cover overdrafts. In January she learned that a concert in Europe the previous autumn had gone into the red and that she owed her business manager over $400,000; and that she was in debt several hundred thousand dollars to managers and lawyers who were no longer her employees. In all, her debts totaled approximately $2.8 million.

Some people blamed Braxton’s expensive taste and spendthrift ways for her financial problems. Braxton’s manager Barry Hankerson claimed that much of her personal money was consumed by expenses that should have been underwritten by her record company as marketing costs. All of her personal possessions had to be sold to pay off her creditors, even her prestigious awards. In the midst of her bankruptcy proceedings, Braxton was offered the role of "Belle" in Disney’s musical, Beauty and the Beast. She says she always wanted to act, and if the bankruptcy problem didn’t happen, she probably never would have started. She performed on Broadway in New York and flew back to Los Angeles for court appearances between performances. This was a difficult and stressful time for Braxton, but she was eventually able to buy back most of her valuable possessions and to retrieve her Grammys and her Soul Train awards.

Signed New Deal with LaFace Records
In 1999, Braxton signed a new $20 million recording contract with LaFace Records, and reached a settlement agreement regarding legal actions filled during her contract disputes with LaFace and Arista Records. The agreement dismisses the original suit that was filed by Braxton in December of 1997. Afterward, she said that her business strategy had changed. She now believes in herself and has taken control of her finances, a job she had entrusted to other people in the past. Two years after her bankruptcy problems, Braxton made a big comeback with the release of her third album, The Heat. The album, a mix of sultry love ballad and R&B dance tunes, went multiplatinum. During the bankruptcy process, her personal relationship with professional football player Curtis Martin ended, caused in part by the stress and strain of the bankruptcy. Her friend (and now husband), Keri Lewis, stuck by her side through the whole controversy. Braxton told People, "Keri saw the woman, he could see past the dollars and the bankruptcies and he believed in me." The couple married in 2001, and gave birth to their first son, Denim Kole, the following April. A second son, Diezel Ky, followed in early 2003.

Braxton released her final album on Arista, More Than a Woman, in late 2002. The album was a relative commercial disappointment, failing to sell even 500,000 copies; her last album went multiplatinum. In a move that didn’t garner much press attention, Braxton left her longtime label Arista in early 2003. She returned to acting, this time taking the lead role in the Broadway play Aida. After her run with Aida finished, Braxton returned to the studio to work on her next album, scheduled for release on the Universal-distributed Blackground label. "I’m so happy right now," Braxton told Jet magazine in September of 2003. "I don’t have to worry about contracts. I love what I do, I get my paycheck and I come home to my family. No worries!"

Selected discography
(Contributor) Boomerang (soundtrack), LaFace, 1992.
Toni Braxton, LaFace, 1993.
(Contributor) Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack), Arista, 1995.
Secrets, LaFace, 1996.
Snowflakes, Arista, 2001.
The Heat, LaFace, 2000.
More Than a Woman, Arista, 2002.

Sources
Ebony, May 1994, p. 134; April 2002, p. 44.
Essence, December 1992, p. 50; April 1994, p. 60; May 1996, p. 94.
Jet, December 2, 2002, p. 58; April 21, 2003, p. 34; September 15, 2003, p. 56.
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, August 25, 2003.
People, August 23, 1993, p. 19; May 7, 2001, p. 124.
Rolling Stone, December 26, 1996, p. 190.
Time, July 15, 1996, p. 67.
Village Voice, August 24, 1993, p. 80; September 17, 1996, p. 60.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Toni Braxton

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  • Genres: Rhythm & Blues

Biography

Toni Braxton was one of the most popular and commercially successful female R&B singers of the '90s, thanks to her ability to straddle seemingly opposite worlds. Braxton was soulful enough for R&B audiences, but smooth enough for adult contemporary; sophisticated enough for adults, but sultry enough for younger listeners; strong enough in the face of heartbreak to appeal to women, but ravishing enough to nab the fellas. Wielding such broad appeal, Braxton managed to score not one, but two albums that sold over eight million copies; naturally, they were accompanied by a long string of hit singles on the pop and R&B charts, one of which -- "Un-break My Heart" -- ranks among the longest-running number one pop hits of the rock era.

Braxton was born in Severn, MD, on October 7, 1968. The daughter of a minister, she was raised mostly in the strict Apostolic faith, which prohibited not only all popular culture, but also pants in women's wardrobes. Encouraged by their mother, an operatically trained vocalist, Braxton and her four sisters began singing in church as girls; although gospel was the only music permitted in the household, the girls often watched Soul Train when their parents went shopping. Braxton's parents later converted to a different faith, and eased their restrictions on secular music somewhat, allowing Braxton more leeway to develop her vocal style; because of her husky voice, she often used male singers like Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, and Michael McDonald as models, as well as Chaka Khan. Braxton had some success on the local talent show circuit, continuing to sing with her sisters, and after high school studied to become a music teacher. However, Braxton soon dropped out of college after she was discovered singing to herself at a gas station by songwriter Bill Pettaway (who co-authored Milli Vanilli's "Girl You Know It's True"). With Pettaway's help, Braxton and her sisters signed with Arista Records in 1990 as a group dubbed simply the Braxtons.

The Braxtons released a single in 1990 called "The Good Life," and while it wasn't a hit, it caught the attention of L.A. Reid and Babyface, the red-hot songwriting/production team who had just formed their own label, LaFace (which was associated with Arista). Braxton became the first female artist signed to LaFace in 1991, and the following year she was introduced to the listening public with a high-profile appearance on the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's Boomerang. Not only did her solo cut "Love Shoulda Brought You Home" become a substantial pop and R&B hit, but she also duetted with Babyface himself on "Give U My Heart." Anticipation for Braxton's first album ran high, and when her eponymous solo debut was released in 1993, it was an across-the-board smash, climbing to number one on both the pop and R&B charts. It spun off hit after hit, including three more Top Ten singles in "Another Sad Love Song," "Breathe Again," and "You Mean the World to Me," plus the double-sided R&B hit "I Belong to You"/"How Many Ways." With eventual sales of over eight million copies, Toni Braxton's run of popularity lasted well into 1995. By that time, Braxton had scored Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal ("Another Sad Love Song") in 1994, and tacked on another win in the latter category for "Breathe Again" in 1995.

To tide fans over until her next album was released, Braxton contributed "Let It Flow" to the Whitney Houston-centered soundtrack of Waiting to Exhale in 1995. Again working heavily with L.A. Reid and Babyface, Braxton released her second album, Secrets, in the summer of 1996, and predictably, it was another enormous hit. The first single, "You're Makin' Me High," was Braxton's most overtly sexual yet, and it became her biggest pop hit to date; however, its success was soon eclipsed by the follow-up single, the Diane Warren-penned ballad "Un-break My Heart." "Un-break My Heart" was an inescapable juggernaut, spending an amazing 11 weeks on top of the pop charts (and even longer on the adult contemporary charts). Further singles "I Don't Want To" and "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" weren't quite as successful (not that that's an indictment), but that didn't really matter; by then Secrets was well on its way to becoming Braxton's second straight eight-million seller. In 1997, she picked up Grammy awards for Best Female Pop Vocal and Best Female R&B Vocal (for "Un-break My Heart" and "You're Makin' Me High," respectively).

Toward the end of 1997, Braxton filed a lawsuit against LaFace Records, attempting to gain release from a contract she felt was no longer fair or commensurate with her status. When LaFace countersued, Braxton filed for bankruptcy, a move that shocked many fans (who wondered how that could be possible, given her massive sales figures) but actually afforded her protection from further legal action. Braxton spent most of 1998 in legal limbo, and passed the time by signing on to portray Belle in the Broadway production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast (a role originally held by erstwhile teen queen Deborah Gibson). Braxton and LaFace finally reached a settlement in early 1999, and the singer soon began work on her third album. The Heat was released in the spring of 2000, and entered the charts at number two, matching the highest position held by Secrets. Lead single "He Wasn't Man Enough" was a Top Ten hit (and an R&B chart-topper), although the follow-ups "Just Be a Man About It" (a duet with Dr. Dre) and "Spanish Guitar" didn't sustain the album's momentum as well as one might have expected. A brisk seller out of the box, The Heat eventually cooled off around the two-million mark, a disappointing showing compared to her previous efforts, despite yet another Grammy win for Best Female R&B Vocal ("He Wasn't Man Enough").

Braxton appeared in the VH1 movie Play'd in early 2002, and recorded More Than a Woman for release later that year. The singles "Please" and "That's the Way Love Works (Trippin')" announced Braxton's 2005 return with the full-length Libra, her first and only album recorded for the Blackground label. Initially a commercial disappointment, the album was re-released a year later when "The Time of Our Lives" -- a collaboration with the vocal group Il Divo -- became the official 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem. That same year the singer replaced Wayne Newton as the main performer at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Her show, Toni Braxton: Revealed, would run until April of 2008 when she joined the cast of the competitive reality show Dancing with the Stars. After lasting five weeks before being voted off the show, Braxton announced she would be signing with the Atlantic label. Pulse was issued in 2010. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Toni Braxton

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Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton on the Vh1 Divas 2009 Red Carpet
Background information
Birth name Toni Michelle Braxton
Born October 7, 1967 (1967-10-07) (age 44)
Severn, Maryland, U.S.
Genres R&B, soul, pop
Occupations Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 1989–present
Labels LaFace, Arista, Blackground, Atlantic
Associated acts The Braxtons
Website www.tonibraxton.com

Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1967)[1] is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide. She has a contralto vocal type.[citation needed]

Braxton topped the Billboard 200 with her 1993 self-titled debut album and continued that streak with her second studio album Secrets, which spawned the number-one hits "You're Makin' Me High" and "Un-Break My Heart". Although she had successful albums and singles, Braxton shortly filed for bankruptcy, but then returned with her chart-topping third album, The Heat. In 2009, she returned to the spotlight with "Yesterday", a #12 R&B hit which serves as the first single off her new album Pulse, released on May 4, 2010, which debuted at #1 on Billboard R&B Album Chart.[2] Braxton was involved in the 7th season of the reality show Dancing with the Stars. Her professional partner was Alec Mazo. She was voted off in week five of the competition. It was announced on October 6, 2010 that Braxton once again had filed for bankruptcy. A reality series entitled Braxton Family Values, starring Toni and her sisters, debuted April 12, 2011 on WE tv. WE tv ordered a 13-episode second season of the show after the third episode of the first season. On September 18, 2011, Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Contents

Early life and education

Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland. Toni's father, Michael Conrad Braxton, was a Methodist[3][4] clergyman and power company worker, and her mother, Evelyn, a native of South Carolina, was a former opera singer and cosmetologist, as well as a pastor.[5][6] The Braxton children were raised in a strict religious household.[7] Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir.[7]

Toni and brother Michael Braxton Jr. are the eldest of the siblings, followed by younger sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar.

She attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree[8] but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway Jr., who heard her singing to herself while pumping gas.[9]

Music career

1989–92: The Braxtons

Main article: The Braxtons

Braxton and her four sisters (Traci, Trina, Towanda, and Tamar) began performing as The Braxtons in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, "Good Life", was released in 1990.[10] Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.[10]

With Braxton's low register sounding similar to that of Anita Baker,[citation needed] Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", a song that they had written for Anita Baker for the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's film, Boomerang. Baker, who was pregnant at the time,[11] did not record the song but suggested that Braxton record it. Her recording was later included on the soundtrack along with "Give U My Heart", a duet by Braxton and Babyface. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and immediately began recording her solo debut album.

1993–95: Toni Braxton

On July 13, 1993, LaFace Records released Braxton's self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton.[12] The album, which was primarily produced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart.[13] The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number seven and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts respectively.[14] The album's second single, "Breathe Again" peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts[14] and no 2 in the UK.[15] More singles from Toni Braxton were released in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", "I Belong to You", and "How Many Ways".[14]

Braxton's debut album won her several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995).[16] She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist)[16] in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album).[16] Toni Braxton was certified 8x platinum in USA and has sales of over 10 million worldwide.[17][18]

1996–98: Secrets

In June 1996, Braxton released her second and most successful album, Secrets.[19] Braxton has said about the album: "The motivation for this album was to include a little bit of everything. Our aim was to come up with material that would have a familiar 'feel' to the people who bought the first album without being musically redundant."[20] Along with Babyface, Braxton also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album.[21] Braxton was the co-executive producer of the album and co-wrote two of its songs, including the 1997 single "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", which was also later included on Diana Princess of Wales Tribute, a Princess Diana memorial album.[22]

With help from the album's first single, "You're Makin' Me High" (which became Braxton's first number-one hit on the Hot 100 singles chart),[14] the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[23] "You're Makin' Me High" also topped the R&B singles chart for two weeks[14] and saw similar success in Europe and Asia. The album's second single, "Un-Break My Heart" (written by Diane Warren)—which would later become the singer's signature song[24]—became the biggest hit of her career spending eleven weeks at number one on the Hot 100[10] and also topping the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart for eleven weeks and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for four weeks[25] as well as reaching no 2 in the UK[26] The song is the second biggest selling single by a female singer in Billboard history behind Whitney Houston's, "I Will Always Love You".[citation needed] Other singles from the album included the double A-side "I Don't Want To"/"I Love Me Some Him" (which peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart)[14] and "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" which featured Kenny G, with whom Braxton later toured.[27] After 92 weeks in the charts, Secrets is certified 8x platinum, becoming Braxton's second straight 8 million seller. Internationally, Secrets sold more than 15 million copies, thus cementing Braxton's superstar status.[18]

Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Hot 100 Singles Artist — Female,[28] Top R&B Artist — Female (singles and albums),[25] Top Hot R&B Singles Artist — Female,[25] Top Hot Dance Club Play Artist, and Top Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, while "Un-Break My Heart" became the Top Hot Dance Club Play Single and the Top Hot Adult Contemporary Track of the year. She won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance[16] and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album.[16]

1999–01: The Heat

In March 2000, LaFace Records released "He Wasn't Man Enough", the first single from Braxton's third studio album, The Heat. By June 2000, the song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 chart. Braxton's music video for "He Wasn't Man Enough", which also featured actress Robin Givens, was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards including Best Female Video and Best R&B Video and a Billboard Music Video Award for Best R&B Clip of the Year.[citation needed]

The Heat was released on April 25, 2000. Debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart with first week sales of 194,448 copies sold,[29] it remained in the top 20 for fifteen consecutive weeks. Braxton again worked with producers Babyface and Foster; also included in the staple were Rodney Jerkins, and new beau musician Keri Lewis. Braxton herself also took a more hands-on approach, co-writing and co-producing a handful of the tracks. "Gimme Some", a track on "The Heat", featured a rap verse from TLC star Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes.

The albums second single, "Just Be a Man About It", peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100 and number six on the R&B Charts. The third single, "Spanish Guitar", peaked at number 98 on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Dance & Club charts. The fourth single, "Maybe", peaked at 74 on the R&B charts.

The Heat was certified double platinum in the US with over 3 million copies sold worldwide.[18] In February 2000, Braxton performed alongside Enrique Iglesias and Christina Aguilera during the Super Bowl Halftime show.[citation needed] Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist — Female, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist — Female, and Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Artist — Female. She also received the 2000 Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. Braxton also picked up her sixth Grammy Award for "He Wasn't Man Enough" which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and the album was nominated for Best R&B Album. It won Best R&B/Soul Album at the 2001 American Music Awards, her third win in a row.[citation needed]

In 2002, while gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to promote the album properly, she unsuccessfully lobbied Arista Records to get the label to postpone its release until after she was to give birth. Arista Records refused and the album was released as planned in November 2002. It received very little promotion from Arista and Braxton herself, due to a complicated pregnancy that confined her to bed rest. Braxton accused the company of being unwilling to compromise and punishing her from not putting her career over family. On the show VH1 Inside Out — Family Comes First, she documented the hardships of being pregnant with her second child at the same time as promoting an album.[citation needed]

2002–04: More Than a Woman

In November 2002, Braxton's fourth studio album More Than a Woman was released. Opening to an instant commercial disappointment, the album peaked at number 13. The first single, The Neptunes-produced "Hit the Freeway", failed at radio and peaked at number 86 on the Hot 100. The two singles that followed ("A Better Man", "Lies, Lies, Lies") also failed to make a dent and missed the Hot 100 completely. Meanwhile, a promotional vinyl was sent out to DJs for "Give It Back"/"Let Me Show You the Way (Out)".[citation needed]

More Than A Woman was certified gold by RIAA and sold more 800,000 copies worldwide.[30][31]

Prior to the release of the album, a dispute erupted between Braxton and Irv Gotti when he played a rough cut of "No More Love", a song that he produced for the album that was to be the first single. Disapproving of Gotti broadcasting the unfinished track, Braxton withheld it from being released. The same year, Braxton was further annoyed when Jay-Z used the same sample of 2Pac's "Me And My Girlfriend" that she had already used on her track "Me & My Boyfriend" for his and Beyoncé's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Furious, Braxton lashed out in a radio interview, accusing Jay-Z and producer Kanye West of taking money out of her children's college fund.[citation needed]

2003–06: Libra

In April 2003, Braxton abruptly left Arista Records, having been there for fourteen years, and immediately signed with Blackground Records—headed by Barry Hankerson, her manager at the time. The change of scenery, however, did not ultimately help her recording career. As had been the case during her final years at Arista—Braxton's fifth album, and first release on Blackground, Libra was released with scant promotion and accumulated poor sales.[citation needed]

In April 2005, Braxton's new label, Blackground/Universal, released "Please"—the first single from her fifth album, Libra. The album was originally planned for a June release, but it was pushed back several times and was finally issued on September 27. Unfortunately for Braxton, her troubles with weak album promotion and lack of label commitment weren't over. "Please" peaked at number 36 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the Hot 100. The album lacked promotion by Blackground, causing it to go under the radar of many.[citation needed]

Despite this, Libra still managed to debut at number four on the Billboard 200 selling 114,593 copies in the first week. Libra also peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Although that is strong for an album with little to no promotion, it became yet another commercial disappointment for Braxton. The album's second single, "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)" received less airplay and peaked at number 67 on the R&B chart. The failure was ascribed to the non-video presence of the single and lack of label support. The album was certified gold in late 2005 and has since sold 679,000 copies worldwide.[30]

Braxton, meanwhile, recorded a song with Il Divo titled "The Time of Our Lives". The song was used as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem and was performed at the championship's opening day in Berlin, Germany on June 9. The song was also performed at the closing ceremonies making Braxton and Il Divo the first artists to be asked to perform for the opening and closing ceremonies.[32] The song peaked at number 17 in Germany. As a result Edel Records decided to re-release Libra in Germany, including a new album cover, artwork, and the new anthem.[citation needed]

Braxton made an appearance on the season finale of American Idol 5 where she performed Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" with soon-to-be winner Taylor Hicks.[33]

2006–08: Toni Braxton: Revealed

Flamingo Las Vegas at night featuring Braxton, January 2007.

On May 19, 2006, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas announced that Braxton would replace Wayne Newton as the casino's new headlining act on August 3, 2006.[34] The show, entitled Toni Braxton: Revealed, was to be performed six nights a week and was scheduled to run through March 2007. Braxton Later confirmed that she was extending her show through August 2007. The show became the first headlining show from an African American performer in Las Vegas to enter the top ten Vegas shows charting. Due to the success of the show, it was reported that Braxton would extend her show through August 2008. The singer subsequently took time off after being hospitalized for chest pains in April 2008.[citation needed] The show was later cancelled, and it was announced that the show was officially shut down in order for the singer to focus on her health.[35]

Braxton has been released from her contract with Blackground after a number of disputes with former manager Barry Hankerson.[36]

On January 12, 2007, Braxton filed a lawsuit in the U.S District Court in Manhattan against Hankerson for $10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing," in addition to mismanaging her relationship with Arista Records.[37] According to Braxton, Hankerson placed his own personal financial interests ahead of hers by using "double-talk" to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former recording label, Arista Records, with Hankerson allegedly telling Arista that "Braxton no longer wanted to record for Arista" and telling Braxton that "Arista was not interested in working with her anymore".[37] Braxton also accused Hankerson of failing to send her on request copies of accounting statements, lying about deals that he made on her behalf and engaging in a vendetta against her by refusing to provide information to other managers that she sought to employ to manage her career.[citation needed]

The suit was settled with Braxton returning a $375,000 advance to Hankerson—who would also receive a percentage of the sales of her next album—and Hankerson releasing Braxton from her contract with him. The settlement also temporarily limited the companies in which Braxton can sign with.[38][39]

In early August, various internet websites including TMZ.com and In Touch Weekly magazine began announcing that Braxton would be appearing on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars. The full cast of the next season of the show was confirmed on August 25, 2008 on Good Morning America, which confirmed Braxton as a contestant in the season with her partner being Alec Mazo.[40] They were voted off in the fifth week of the competition.

Braxton, Lance Bass, Maurice Greene and Marlee Matlin headlined Dancing with the Stars winter tour starting in December 2008 and finishing in February 2009.[citation needed]

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1A Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Smooth" 7 7 8 Safe
1B Quickstep/ "Blue Skies" 8 7 8 Last to Be Called Safe
2 Rumba/ "I Can't Make You Love Me" 7 8 8 Safe
3 Viennese Waltz/ "Für Elise" 8 7 7 Safe
4 Samba/ "De Donde Soy" 7 7 8 Safe
5 West Coast Swing/ "The Way You Make Me Feel" 7 7 8 Eliminated

2009–10: Pulse

Soul Beach Music Festival press conference, Toni Braxton with Gee Money, May 2010.

In October 2008, it was announced that Braxton signed to Atlantic Records. In the November 2008 issue of Jet, Braxton discussed her time spent on Dancing with the Stars as well as dealing with her son's autism. Braxton also talked about being signed to Atlantic Records and the debut of her upcoming single. She added that the complete CD is scheduled to come out in some time in 2009. She also hinted at a cooking show with fellow Dancing with the Stars competitor, Rocco DiSpirito.[citation needed]

The DJ Frank E produced song "Yesterday" premiered on September 11, 2009 and features Trey Songz.[41] It was released as the lead single from her sixth studio album Pulse.[42] "Yesterday" peaked at #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart making it her highest chart performance since her 2000's single "Just Be a Man About It", which peaked at #6. The single has been released worldwide on May 3, 2010.[43] In the UK, "Yesterday" became Braxton's first hit single since the release of "Hit the Freeway", peaking at #50 on the UK Singles Chart and at #17 on the UK R&B Singles Chart. The song also became a moderate hit in Europe, peaking at #20 on the German Singles Chart, at #17 on the Swiss Singles Chart and charting at #50 on the European Hot 100.

On January 29, Braxton's official website posted two new songs from the upcoming album, "Hands Tied" and "Make My Heart". The former peaked at #29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the latter was sent to dance/club radio.[44] She performed Make My Heart on The Wendy Williams Show. Videos for both songs "Make My Heart" and "Hands Tied" have been shot.

Braxton released her sixth studio album Pulse on May 4, 2010 in the US [45] and on May 10, 2010 in the UK.[2]

The album debuted at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart and hit #1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Braxton's fifth US top-ten album. It also achieved moderate chart success around the world. In Canada it debuted at #72 on the Top 100 Albums chart and in the United Kingdom it debuted at #28 on the Top 40 Albums and at #7 on the R&B Albums chart. It entered at #18 on the German Album Chart. In Switzerland, the album hit #9. Pulse became Toni's first album to chart inside the European Top 100 Albums since her 2000 album The Heat.

On June 28, Braxton posted a video for Woman.[46]

Toni Braxton was included as part of the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" remake of the 1985 hit "We Are the World" to help benefit the people of Haiti following the January 12, 2010 magnitude 7.0 MW earthquake in Haiti. The new version of the song was recorded on February 1, 2010. Music legends Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie act as Executive Producers as well as Wyclef Jean. Artists involved included Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Janet Jackson, Tony Bennett, Wyclef Jean, Josh Groban, Pink, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Levine, Justin Bieber, LL Cool J, among others.

2011-present : Braxton Family Values

Braxton performing in Romania during New Year's Eve 2012.

In January 2011, WE tv Network confirmed that it had signed Braxton for a reality series, Braxton Family Values, which will be marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. The series debuted April 12, 2011, and looks at the relationship between the singer/songwriter Braxton, her mother, and her four sisters; Trina, Tamar, Traci and Towanda — all aspiring singers themselves — along with the interpersonal relationships of each family member. The show will also look at Braxton's heavily publicized separation from estranged husband, singer Keri Lewis.[47] Toni parted ways with her long time manager Vincent Herbert, who is also husband of sister Tamar Braxton, and signed a new management deal with Los Angeles-based entertainment/production company 'The Collective'.[48] Braxton has confirmed work on her seventh studio album and that L.A. Reid would be producing on the album.[49] Braxton announced at Mercedes-Benz 2012 Fall/Winter Fashion Week in an interview with Rocco Leo Gaglioti as a part of "Fashion News Live" that she would be releasing a new single titled "I Heart You" in March and an as of yet untitled album in May.[50]

Acting career

Braxton has appeared on two Disney Broadway shows: She made her Broadway debut as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" beginning September 9, 1998 where she replaced Kim Huber.[51] During her run in the show Alan Menken wrote a new song for the musical called "A Change in Me," which was specially written for Braxton and was used in the musical ever since.[52] She left the production on February 28, 1999 and was succeeded by Andrea McArdle.[53] Her role in "Beauty and the Beast" marked the first (and only) time a black woman commanded the leading role of Belle on Broadway. (In the UK, Michelle Gayle played the role in the West End.) It also marked the first time a black woman would star in a Disney musical on Broadway.[54] She then starred in "Aida" as Aida beginning June 30, 2003 where she replaced Simone[55] and left the cast on November 16, 2003 where she was replaced by Michelle Williams.[56] In 2001, she made her movie acting debut in the feature film Kingdom Come.[57] In 2004, Braxton appeared as herself, voicing a singing character named Toni, in a special episode and DVD release [58] of the children's television show Blue's Clues.[59] In August 2005, Braxton announced that she would be shooting a sitcom pilot for The WB's fall 2006 line-up, though plans to put the show into full-production fell through when The WB announced it would cease to exist in fall 2006 (as part of a merger with UPN to form The CW), She has also starred in the TV sitcom, Kevin Hill.[60] Braxton has recently[when?] completed filming of "The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure" alongside Jaime Pressly and Cloris Leachman due to be released 2010.[dated info] Her character - Rosalie Rosebud - is a singer, whose over-the-top personality was apparently inspired by Mariah Carey.[61]

Personal life

Marriage, family, and son's autism

Braxton met musician Keri Lewis when his group, Mint Condition, opened for her on tour.[62] On April 21, 2001, they were married.[62] On December 2, 2001, she gave birth to their first child,[63] a son named Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis. The couple's second son, Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, was born on March 31, 2003.[63]

In an October 2006 concert at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was reported that Braxton broke down in tears discussing her son, Diezel, who had recently been diagnosed with autism.[64] Braxton has been outspoken regarding her doctor's failure to diagnose Diezel's condition earlier, contending that if he had been diagnosed earlier, he could have been helped.[65]

As well as becoming a spokeswoman for Autism Speaks,[66] she is also a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.

In November 2009, through her attorney Antavius Weems, Braxton announced that she and Lewis had separated.[67]

Health problems

As of August 2007, rumors surfaced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Toni stated to Access Hollywood that the breast cancer rumors were false and that her health is in great condition. However, in 2008, she had a benign lump removed from her breast.[68]

On April 8, 2008, near the end of her two-year run at the Flamingo Hotel, Braxton was briefly hospitalized and the remaining dates on the show, which was scheduled to end on August 23, 2008, were canceled. Later, while appearing on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, she stated that she has been diagnosed with microvascular angina (small vessel disease).[69]

On November 18, 2010, Braxton admitted to CBS News that she suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus, a potentially life threatening autoimmune disease. Braxton's brother also suffers from the disease, and her uncle died of complications from lupus.[70]

Discography

Main article: Toni Braxton discography

Tours

Awards and nominations

Main article: Toni Braxton awards and nominations

Filmography

References

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  45. ^ Posted By: Sam (2010-01-21). "Toni Braxton’s ‘Pulse’ Pushed Back – Again | ..::That Grape Juice // ThatGrapeJuice.net::.. || Thirsty?". Thatgrapejuice.net. http://thatgrapejuice.net/2010/01/toni-braxtons-pulse-pushed/. Retrieved 2010-11-12. 
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  50. ^ "Toni Braxton confirms new single ‘I Heart You’…". ToyazWorld.com. http://toyazworld.com/2012/02/10/toni-braxton-confirms-new-single-i-heart-you/#more-14993. 
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  53. ^ "Bway's Beauty Turns 2,000 Sat. Matinee Jan. 30; McArdle Arrives March 3". Playbill.com. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/43273-Bways-Beauty-Turns-2000-Sat-Matinee-Jan-30-McArdle-Arrives-March-3. Retrieved 2012-01-16. 
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  57. ^ "Kingdom Come". IMDb. http://imdb.com/title/tt0246002. Retrieved 2006-12-19. 
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  66. ^ Toni Braxton Named National Celebrity Spokesperson for Autism Speaks , Autism Speaks, e-Speaks, March 10, 2007
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  69. ^ "Toni Braxton's Microvascular Angina (Cardiac Syndrome X): FAQ". Webmd.com. 2008-09-23. http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20080923/toni-braxton-microvascular-angina-faq. Retrieved 2012-01-16. 
  70. ^ Katz, Neil (November 18, 2010). "lupus and Toni Braxton: "I'm a Survivor"". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20023219-10391704.html. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Toni Braxton
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Arrested Development		 Grammy Award for Best New Artist
1994		 Succeeded by
Sheryl Crow
Toni Braxton
Studio albums
Toni Braxton (1993) · Secrets (1996) · The Heat (2000) · Snowflakes (2001) · More Than a Woman (2002) · Libra (2005) · Pulse (2010)
Compilation albums
Tours
Maze Tour (1994) · Secrets Tour (1997) · Libra Tour (2006)
Featured singles
Related articles
Toni Braxton singles
Toni Braxton
Secrets
The Heat
Snowflakes
More Than a Woman
Libra
Pulse
Featured singles
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Related topics:
Breathe Again (1995 Album by Sweet-Tea)
He Wasn't Man Enough [DVD Single] (2000 Album by Toni Braxton)
Toni Braxton: He Wasn't Man Enough for Me (2000 Music Film)

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