Toni Braxton

Toni 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
dueted 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. 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").

In 2001, Braxton made her feature film debut in the ensemble comedy
Kingdom Come, and married Mint Condition keyboardist Keri Lewis; by the
end of the year, they had a baby boy. Braxton also released her first
holiday album, ‘Snowflakes’. In early 2002, Braxton appeared in the VH1
movie Play'd, and announced that she was beginning work on a new album.
More Than A Woman was released in November later that year.
 

Discography  :