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Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7,
1967 in Severn, Maryland) is a six-time Grammy
Award-winning American R&B singer, songwriter, and
actress who was popular during the '90s. She is famous
for her husky alto vocal timbre.
Biography, Early life and career: Braxton is the
oldest of six children. She attended elementary school
at Quarterfield elementary, and middle school at Corkran
Middle School in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Her father was a
clergyman, and the Braxton children were raised in a
strict religious household. Braxton's first performing
experience was singing in her church choir. She attended
Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but
decided to pursue a musical career.
1989–1991: 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,
"The Good Life", was released in 1990.
Though the song was not successful, it attracted the
attention of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth
"Babyface" Edmonds.
With Braxton's low register sounding similar to that of
Anita Baker,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, didn't
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.
1993–1998: Toni Braxton, Secrets and Bankruptcy
Toni Braxton: On July 13, 1993, LaFace Records
released Braxton's self-titled debut album, Toni
Braxton. The album, which was primarily produced by
Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons peaked at number one
on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. The first single,
"Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number
seven and number two on Billboard's Hot 100 and R&B
Singles charts respectively. The album's second single,
"Breathe Again" peaked in the top five of both
the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. More singles
from Toni Braxton were released in 1994, including
"You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole
Days", and "How Many Ways".
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). She also won
two American Music Awards (for "Favorite
Soul/R&B New Artist", "Favorite New Adult
Contemporary Artist") in 1994 and another one in
1995 (for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album"). Toni
Braxton was certified 8x Platinum and has sales of over
10 million worldwide.
Secrets: In 1996, Braxton released her second and
most successful album, Secrets. 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." Along with Babyface, Braxton
also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster
on the album. 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.
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), the album
peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
"You're Makin' Me High" also topped the
R&B singles chart for two weeks 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 -
became the biggest hit of her career spending eleven
weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and also topping the
Hot Dance Singles Sales chart for eleven weeks and the
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for four weeks. Other
singles from the album included the double-side "I
Don't Want To"/"I Love Me Some Him"
(which peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club
Play chart) and "How Could an Angel Break My
Heart" which featured Kenny G, whom Braxton later
toured with.
Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the
"Top Hot 100 Singles Artist -
Female","Top R&B Artist - Female (singles
and albums)", "Top Hot R&B Singles Artist
- Female","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
"Top Hot Adult Contemporary Track" of the
year. She won two Grammy Awards; one for "Best
Female Pop Vocal Performance" 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".
Bankruptcy: Following the success of her first
two albums, which has sold more than 26 million copies
worldwide, Braxton made demands, according to her label,
for more money. She said that if her demands were not
met she would no longer be recording for the label. In January 1998, Braxton filed
for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in
Los Angeles. Although her bankruptcy petition ostensibly
was filed on the grounds that her liabilities exceeded
her assets, music industry pundits believe that the core
reason she filed was so the bankruptcy court would void
her existing recording agreement with her record label
LaFace. The label countersued Braxton for breach of
contract.
The label did not acquiesce and Braxton apparently
implemented the bankruptcy action in an attempt to
extricate herself from what she viewed as an inequitable
contract. Her publicist said of the
action: "...the only sensible option... She is
confident that with the court's protection, she will be
able to make a fresh start."A bankruptcy judge
ruled in Braxton's favor by denying the dismissal of the
claim (as filed by her record label). Braxton has said
of the lawsuit: "I can't talk about the suit, but I
love those guys very much. It's just business."
1999–2002: The Heat and More Than a Woman: In
early 1999, Braxton and LaFace resolved their legal
conflict. Issued with a brand new contract worth a
reported $25 million, a satisfied Braxton continued to
record for the label. Though the legalities with her
LaFace and Arista subsided, Braxton saw a steep sales
decline with her forthcoming releases with the label.
The Heat: In January 2000, LaFace Records
released "He Wasn't Man Enough", the first
single from Braxton's third studio album, The Heat. By
June, 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".
The Heat, meanwhile, was released on April 26,2000.
Debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart
with first week sales of 205,000, 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.
The albums second single, "Just Be a Man About
It", peaked at number thirty-two on the Hot 100
while the third and final single, "Spanish
Guitar", peaked at number ninety-eight. By the end
of the year, The Heat was certified 2x platinum, a
decline from her previous two albums. 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.
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
to get the label to postpone its release until after she
was to give birth. Subsequently, the album was released
as planned and received very little promotion from the
label or 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.
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 thirteen, with first week sales
of 95,000. The first single, the The Neptunes-produced,
"Hit the Freeway", failed at radio and peaked
at number eighty-six on the Hot 100. The three singles
that followed ("Lies, Lies, Lies", "Give
It Back", and "A Better Man") also failed
to make a dent and missed the Hot 100 completely.
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 rapper Jay-Z used the same
sample of 2Pac's "Me And My Girlfriend" that
she had already used on her track "Me And My
Boyfriend" for his and Beyonce'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.
Many fans, and allegedly Braxton herself, considered
this to be her worst album. Unlike her previous
releases, with More Than a Woman, Braxton delved into
hip hop with a bevy of guest rappers including Baby and
Loon. The album has sold 435,000 copies in the US,
falling short of expectations.
2003–2006: Move to Blackground and 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.
Libra: In April 2005, Braxton's new label,
Blackground/Universal, released "Please" —
the first single from her forthcoming 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 thirty-six on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop
Tracks Chart, while altogether missing the Hot 100. The
album lacked promotion by Blackground, caused it to go
under the radar of many.
Despite this, Libra still managed to debut at number
four on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, selling 114,593
copies in the first week. Libra also peaked at number
two on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums; on
November 4, 2005 the album was certified Gold by RIAA
for shipments of 500,000 copies. Although that is strong
for an album with little to no promotion, it became yet
another commercial disappointment for Braxton.
The albums second single, "Trippin' (That's the Way
Love Works)" received less airplay and peaked at
number sixty-seven on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop
Tracks 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
431,000 copies.
Almost immediately after Libra's release, Blackground
halted promotion of the album and later scrapped plans
for a re-release. An upset portion of Braxton's fanbase
created an online petition to encourage J Records to
sign her. Braxton's fans later hoped that "I Wanna
Be (Your Baby)" would be a next single off from
Libra due to her performing at numerous events,
including "Good Morning America" in December
2005, but it was not to be.
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 peaked at #17 in Germany. As
a result Edel Records decided to re-released Libra in
Germany, including a new album cover, artwork and the
new anthem.
On May 19, 2006, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las
Vegas announced that Braxton will replace Wayne Newton
as the casino’s new headlining act starting August 3,
2006. The show, "Toni Braxton: Revealed", will
be performed six nights a week and run through March
2007. She recently confirmed that she will be extending
her show through August 2007.
On June 23, 2006, Braxton re-released the album Libra on
the German label Edel Music. The re-release included the
song "Time Of Our Lives". The repackaged album
also lacked promotion.
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.
Braxton performed on the Times Square stage on FOX's New
Year's Eve special that aired live from New York City's
Time Square as part of the countrys largest count down
celebration. The show aired on December 31, 2006.
2007–present: Departure from Blackground:
Braxton has been released from her contract with
Blackground after a number of disputes with former
manager Barry Hankerson.
On January 12, 2007, Braxton filed a lawsuit in the U.S.
District Court in Manhattan against Barry Hankerson for
$10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double
dealing" in the matter of mismanaging and
destroying her relationship with Arista Records.
According to Braxton, Hankerson placed his own personal
financial interests ahead of hers during the management
of her recording career by using "underhanded
double-talk" to compromise and destroy her
relationship with Arista Records to lure her to his
Blackground label.
Braxton alleged that Hankerson told
Arista that "[she] no longer wanted to record for
Arista," while at the same time telling her that
"Arista was not interested in working with her
anymore," which, according to her, were false
statements on both ends. Braxton also accused Hankerson
of failing to send to 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 hire to manage her career. It was also
announced that Braxton would be parting ways with
Blackground Records after just one album. The suit has
been settled.
Personal life: Braxton met musician Keri Lewis in
1997, when the group Mint Condition (which he was a
member of at that time) opened up for her while she was
on tour. On April 21, 2001, they married. On December 2,
2001, she gave birth to their first child, a son named
Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis. The couple's second son,
Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, was born on March 31, 2003. The
couple currently lives in the Southern Highlands Golf
Club.
In an October 2006 concert at the Flamingo in Las Vegas,
it was reported that Toni Braxton broke down in tears
discussing her son, Diezel, who was recently diagnosed
with autism. 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.
Acting career: Braxton has appeared on two Disney
Broadway shows: "Beauty and the Beast" (as
Belle) in 1998 and "Aida" (as Aida) in 2003.
Her role in "Beauty and the Beast" marked the
first time an African American commanded the leading
role of Belle. In 2001, she made her acting debut in the
feature film Kingdom Come.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). |
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