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TONI BRAXTON BIOGRAPHY |
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Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1966)is a
six-time Grammy Award winning American R&B singer. She is most
notable for her dark, deep, thick contralto vocals, which are
low even by contralto standards.
Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland, and is the oldest of six
children. She attended Richard Henry Lee Elementary School,
Corkran Middle School, and Glen Burnie High 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 with a church choir. She
attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but
decided to pursue a musical career.
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 very
successful, it attracted the attention of producing team 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
specifically for Baker to appear on the soundtrack to the Eddie
Murphy film, Boomerang. Baker passed on the song but suggested
that Braxton herself record the final version. The endorsement
worked in Braxton's favor, as her recording was included on the
soundtrack along with "Give U My Heart", a duet by Braxton and
Babyface. Both songs garnered radio attention in the closing
months of 1992 and effectively introduced Braxton to the record
buying public. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and
Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and
immediately began recording her solo debut album.
Toni Braxton (1993)On July 13, 1993, LaFace Records released
Braxton's self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton. With a bulk of
the production serviced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons,
the album became a critical and commercial success — peaking at
#1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, where it remained for
two weeks. The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at
#7 and #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts
respectively. The album's second single, "Breathe Again," fared
better — peaking in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B
singles charts. More singles from Toni Braxton were released
into 1994, including the top ten "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 (one for Best New Artist and two consecutive ones
for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance) and three American Music
Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist, Favorite New Adult
Contemporary Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Album). Toni Braxton
was certified 8x platinum and sold over 10 million worldwide.
Secrets (1996)Braxton entered the studio in 1995 to begin
recording her sophomore album, Secrets. The album, released in
1996, is her most successful work to date. Braxton, Babyface,
and Reid stuck with the same formula for the album but added
more soul to the sound. 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 a Princess
Diana memorial album.
With help from the album's first single, "You're Makin' Me High"
(which became Braxton's first #1 hit on the Hot 100 singles
chart), the album debuted at #2 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,
expanding the prominence of Braxton on an increasing
international clientele. 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 #1 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 also topped the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart) and
the above-mentioned "How Could An Angel Break My Heart" which
featured Kenny G, who 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
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.
The Heat (2000)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 #2 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 in April. Debuting at #2 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 a
modest #32 on the Hot 100 chart while the third and final
single, "Spanish Guitar", peaked at a disappointing #98. By the
end of the year, The Heat was certified double platinum which
showed a noticeable 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.
More Than a Woman (2002)In November 2002, Braxton's fourth
studio album More Than a Woman was released. Opening to an
instant commercial disappointment, the albums peaked at #13,
with first week sales of 95,000. The first single, the The
Neptunes-produced, "Hit The Freeway", failed at radio and peaked
at #86 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 awkwardly delved into hip hop with a bevy of
guest rappers including Baby and Loon. The album sold
approximately 435,000, falling horribly short of expectation.
Libra (2005)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 #36 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks
Chart, while altogether missing the Hot 100. The albums lack of
promotion by Blackground, caused it to go under the radar of
many.
Despite this, Libra still managed to debut at #4 on the
Billboard 200 Albums Chart, selling 114,593 copies in the first
week. Libra also peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop
Albums; on November 4th, 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 it only peaked at #67 on Billboard
R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks Chart, even underquoting the moderate success
of "Please". The failure was ascribed to the non-video presence
of the single and nil label support. As of 2/8/06, Libra has
sold roughly 380,000 copies(Soundscan)and has been certified
Gold for shipments of 500,000 copies.
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. [3] As a result Edel Records
decided to re-relased 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.
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.
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.
Braxton's 1993 debut album and her 1996 follow-up sold an
estimated 15+ million units worldwide. According to her label,
following the success of the 1996 release, Braxton demanded more
money and said that she would no longer record for the label if
it did not meet her demands. She made this demand even though
she contractually owed the label more albums. 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."
Braxton and LaFace resolved their legal conflict in early 1999.
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 fortcoming releases with the label.
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.
In April 2003, Braxton abruptly left Arista Records (her home of
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.
Almost immediately after Libra's release, Blackground halted
promotion of the album and later scrapped plans for a re-release.
Rumor has it, the label chose to use the money intended for
continued promotion to instead promote other artists on the
roster. Many of Braxton's fans were furious, so much so that an
online petition was created 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.
As of early 2006, rumor suggested that Braxton was back in the
studio recording new material for a re-packaging of Libra.
Whether or not this is true remains to be seen. It has also been
rumored that Universal Records (Blackground's parent label),
from this point on, will have more dominance over Braxton's
future releases — while Blackground will remain involved, but
will take a more submissive position.
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. The two began dating following
Braxton's breakup with Curtis Martin of the New York Jets in
1998. In April 2001, they married. On December 2, 2001, she gave
birth to their first child, a son named Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis.
The couples second son, Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis was born on
March 31, 2003.
Braxton has appeared on Broadway in two Disney 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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