Toni Braxton - Bellazon.co - Biographies Website

Toni Braxton

First Name: Toni
Last Name: Braxton
Nationality: American
Full Name: Toni Michelle Braxton
Date of Birth: 07 October 1966
Birthplace: Severn, Maryland USA
Hair Color: Black
Eyes Color: Brown
Height: 5'2 (157cm)
Measurements: 34D-25-35
Star Sign: Libra

Occupation: Singer
Music Genre: R&B/Soul, R&B

Biography:
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).

Albums:

Essential
Ultimate
Libra
More Than A Woman
The Heat
Secrets

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