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| Birth Name(s) : Toni Michelle Braxton |
Date of Birth: October 7, 1967 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Keri Lewis |
| Profession:
Actor/Musician |
Official Site
Go to the Toni Braxton Official Homepage |
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Toni Braxton Listing
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Full Toni Braxton Biography
The one thing that's no secret is the incredible impact she made with her self-titled 1993 debut. Racking up close to an astounding ten million sales worldwide, "Toni Braxton" earned the sultry-voiced singer three Grammy Awards (including the 1993 'Best New Artist' Award), three American Music Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards. In all, the album spawned 5 hit singles; "Another Sad Love Song", "Breathe Again" and "You Mean The World To Me" which all achieved gold status and became Top 5 R&B and Top 10 pop smashes for Toni, while "I Belong To You" (a Top 10 R&B hit) and it's flipside "How Many Ways" continued to chart momentum that began in the summer of 1993 and went all the way through to the early months of 1995.
Toni's pathway to international succes began in Severn, Maryland where her natural musical ability led her to singing in church with her four sisters. Entering and winning local talent contests and "sneaking to watch Soul Train whenever my parents weren't around" inspired Toni to pursue her dreams while artists like Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder were among her influences.
Studying at Bowie State University to become a teacher, Toni's career plans were sidetracked when she became the first female artist to sign with LaFace Records in early 1991.
Label owners and super hit-making producers L.A. Reid and Babyface provided Toni with her first opportunity to taste succes when she was featured on the soundtrack for Eddie Murphy's 1992 hit movie "Boomerang".
"Give U My Heart", an infectious duet with Babyface became an instant R&B and pop hit while a second single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home" followed suit, wetting the musical appetite of record buyers and critics alike.
Confirmation that her first album was just the beginning of what promises to be a long-term career filled with accomplishment, "Secrets" is a glowing testament to Toni Braxton's status as one of the decade's most vibrant, exciting, soul deep, straight from the heart young artists. |
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Additional Toni Braxton Biography
Braxton is the oldest of six children. She attended elementary school at Quarterfield Elementary School, and middle school at Corkran Middle School in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She also attended 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 in her church choir. She attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but decided to pursue a musical career.
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.
The Heat, meanwhile, was released on April 25, 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. "Gimme Some", a track on "The Heat", featured a rap verse from TLC star Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes.
By the end of the year, The Heat was certified 2x platinum. Also in February 2000, Braxton performed along side Enrique Inglesias and Christina Aguilera during the Super Bowl Halftime show.
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 for "He Wasn't Man Enough" which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B/Rap Vocal Performance.
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.
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 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 has been released from her contract with Blackground after a number of disputes with former manager Barry Hankerson.
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 Las Vegas.
Other albums: Snowflakes · Ultimate Toni Braxton · Platinum & Gold Collection · Un-Break My Heart: The Remix Collection · The Essential Toni Braxton |
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Toni Braxton Quote(s)
| I'm not a diva. I'm a tadpole trying to be a frog. |
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