Braxton group. Toni Braxton - biography, information, personal life

Biography, life story of Toni Braxton

The eldest daughter of Michael and Evelyn Braxton, a priest and failed opera singer and church choir director, was born on October 7, 1967 in the provincial town of Severn, Maryland, and was forced to shun modern culture until adulthood. The father of the family was an ordinary religious fanatic, but for a very long time he could not make a choice in favor of one single movement. “He went through everything: from Jehovah’s Witnesses to the United Methodists,” Tony comments. “And when I went to school, he was brought into the Apostolic Church, and our happy childhood ended happily.” Their entire large family was forced to live under the strict rules of this idiotic organization. Children were forbidden to watch Disney cartoons and popular films (this explains the fact that Tony was able to appreciate the famous “Star Wars” only in the early 90s!). No entertainment other than choral singing was allowed. Together with her four sisters, Toni sang in her mother’s choir and, at her father’s insistence, wore only long dresses with hats, which made her feel very uncomfortable in the company of her classmates. No pants or meeting guys! They weren’t even allowed to listen to music (besides church music, of course). But every prohibition only fuels the passion for eating the forbidden fruit. As soon as the parents closed the door behind them, leaving for work or shopping, the most wonderful transformation of their godly children took place: they turned on the radio and TV, took off their hated clothes and made their way to the neighbor’s house, where they could listen to the forbidden Rick James, Luther Vandross and others prominent representatives of rhythm and blues of the 70s.

Only closer to the end of school did Tony’s father sober up somewhat and reward his six children with some freedoms. First of all, we bought trousers for everyone. Tony got Levi's jeans that fit his figure exactly. Then they were allowed to go to parties, and the girls were allowed to paint their nails. Toni really wanted to sing rhythm and blues, but for now she was still limited to gospel, and her deep voice was not very conducive to stretching out the top notes. Her musical horizons gradually expanded, but still her enlightenment took place in the confined space of her parents’ house and with the radio playing at a low volume.

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And in 1989, at the Annapolis gas station, they had a fateful meeting with Bill Pettaway, the future author of the acclaimed MILLI VANILLI hit "Girl You Know It`s True". Bill immediately noticed a pretty, petite girl humming something while filling up her car. They started talking about music and her band, and it was this man who brought Braxton to Arista Records, the forge of pop divas Clive Davis, who at that time had contracts with Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston. Or rather, her entire family group received the invitation. A standard contract in such cases for the release of a test single was immediately signed with them, but Tony had a presentiment from the very beginning that they would fail. And indeed, THE BRAXTONS' single "Good Life", released in 1990, did not distinguish itself in anything special (by the way, the Braxton sisters released their only album "So Many Ways" without Tony only in 1996). Problems immediately arose with the selection of stage costumes for the girls, since the age difference between Tony and the next eldest sister was as much as five years, and against the background of the teenage outfits of others, her adult dresses did not look very acceptable from the point of view of the marketing strategy that they were used to following on Arista. However, as Toni herself recalls, she was ready to perform anywhere, and it was enough for her to understand that now she stood one step higher.

Fortunately, no future sacrifices were required. Two super talented writers and producers Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds invited her to start a solo career and become the first lady of their new label, LaFace, which was formed in early 1991. They watched THE BRAXTONS perform in Atlanta and couldn't take their eyes off Toni, who certainly stood out among her younger sisters. Tony didn’t have to sit out for long, because the next year her finest hour came, when the fate of several songs was being decided that Reid and Babyface planned to use in the soundtrack they supervised for the film “Boomerang” with the participation of black comedian Eddie Murphy. The songs were written under Anita Baker, and at that time she was already a good month pregnant and, naturally, refused to participate in this project, but advised me to try one girl, whose magnificent voice she heard on a demo tape with the song “Love Shoulda Brought U” Home". Of course, it turned out to be Toni Braxton, who gladly got to work and achieved impressive results for a debutante. Both of her singles ("Love Shoulda Brought U Home" and "Give U My Heart", a duet with Babyface) hit the top forty on Billboard, which served as a serious impetus for the speedy recording of her first album, which was an incredible success - 11 million copies sold and five top-notch hit singles: "Another Sad Love Song", "You Mean The World To Me", "Breathe Again", "I Belong To You" and "How Many Ways". “Tony has a fantastic voice,” Babyface once said. “I don’t find any parallel to it among the artists I’ve ever worked with.” Indeed, in terms of frequency, this is more Barry White than Diana Ross. “Late at night, when I love to work the most,” says Braxton, “you’ll think it’s a man singing, but that’s my nature. I sing in a low voice, which I think is most ideal for singing sad songs.” about love". It would not be superfluous to note that it was precisely for such lyrical, tear-jerking things that in 1994 Toni Braxton was noted at various award ceremonies as “the best and best-selling rhythm and blues newcomer of the year,” who also recorded the best disc in this style. Why did she so impress the public and critics? Her secret is very simple. While all the rhythm and blues became louder and harder, Tony, on the contrary, slowed down and left the listener alone with their emotions, surrounded by divinely tender music.

Quite a bit of time passed, and Braxton abruptly changed the image of a kind of spontaneous sociable girl with a short haircut and an innocent face to a stylish feminine image with a radiant smile and long, shoulder-length, beautifully styled hair (with additional curls intertwined to give it fullness), so much so that even her own bodyguards stopped recognizing her when entering the dressing room. Her new songs have more sexuality, eroticism and mystery. It is no coincidence that her second album was called "Secrets". By the way, she wrote as many as four of his compositions herself.

Unlike our listener, who focused on the piercing ballad "Un-Break My Heart", the first single from this disc received much greater recognition in almost the rest of the world. It’s just that “You`re Makin` Me High” turned out to be quite scandalous, and all because it revealed in great detail the nature of female sexual desire and masturbation. In general, “Secrets” became a very progressive and turning point for Braxton in all respects. Firstly, Toni and her producers, among whom the names of David Foster and R. Kelly appeared (he wrote for her the third single “I Don`t Want To” ), took responsibility for the further development of rhythm and blues, which had stagnated since the days of Aretha Franklin. Secondly, the next 5 million albums sold made her talk about as a stable artist and was quite legitimately included in the elite order of pop divas. , thirdly, Braxton, like a true woman, finally became interested in high fashion and, it seems to me, made it more accessible and understandable to ordinary people, fans of her work. Another thing is that along with the well-deserved recognition, almost always those accompanying her stood out. his attributes - such as, for example, the abundance of romances with other stars, which the press loved so much, Tony was spinning left and right with basketball players (Jason Kidd, Jimmy Jackson and even Dennis Rodman himself), musicians (Maxwell, Bryce Wilson), etc. in the end, like any reasonable woman, it led her to the conclusion that she needed to look for her happiness away from show business and social gatherings.

Basically, she devoted those four years to herself, during which she actually boycotted the execution of the unfair, in her opinion, contract with LaFace. Apparently, Toni was quite sure that, as written in the contract, LaFace would want to give her freedom after seven years of mutually beneficial cooperation. But what about the five albums she still owed the label?! Babyface and Reid, of course, did not want to lose such a popular artist and simply rejected her request to leave for their own bread. Braxton decided to leave LaFace through the courthouse door, but, frankly, she wasn’t strong enough. A lot of her money was spent on these proceedings, and in early 1998, Toni officially declared herself bankrupt with a total debt of about a million dollars. Most of her belongings were sealed, including a piano, shoes, jewelry and even Grammy statuettes. Tony took full responsibility upon herself.

But Braxton did not hang her nose and decided to start all over again. LaFace also softened his tone and re-signed a contract with her (on new, more democratic terms) in 1999. Before that, our pop diva dropped by Broadway, playing in the next production of ``Beauty And The Beast,'' and starred with Queen Latifah and Laurence Tate in the film "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." And at the end of April 2000, it was released Heat's long-awaited third album.

The secret weapon of this superbly stocked set of modern soul tunes is Rodney Jerkins, the man responsible for the recent rise of Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Brandy and Monica, nicely rounding out the old, established line-up with producer Tony, plus some Latin-pop, guitar-a- la Prince and dance funk melodies, first tested on several tracks of “Secrets”. This is, of course, a “hot” album, full of desire to distinguish itself among the growing mass of rhythm and blues performers and groups in recent years. But still, I’m not sure that Toni will be able to present to the public something revolutionary, as her competitors and fellow label mates LaFace from TLC did last year...

Toni Braxton

Toni Michelle Braxton. Born October 7, 1967 in Seavern, Maryland, USA. American rhythm and blues, pop and soul singer, songwriter and actress.

She is the eldest of six children in the family.

Her father was a priest, which affected the children's strict religious upbringing. Toni first began singing publicly in a church choir.

She also attended Bowie State University to obtain her teaching degree, but later decided to pursue a career in music.

Toni and her four younger sisters (Tracy, Trina, Towanda and Taymar) began performing as a group The Braxtons in the late 1980s and signed with Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, "Good Life", was released in 1990. It was not commercially successful, but attracted the attention of producers and musicians Antonio Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

Reid and Babyface invited Tony to record a demo version of the song "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", which they wrote for Anita Baker (for the soundtrack to the film Boomerang with Eddie Murphy), since the sound of her lower vocal register was similar to Baker's sound . Baker, pregnant at the time, did not record the song, but suggested that Braxton record it. Toni, meanwhile, already had a contract with LaFace Records, Reid and Babyface's label and part of Arista Records, under which she began recording her first solo album.

In June 1993, LaFace released their first self-titled album. "Toni Braxton". The album reaches number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.

The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number seven and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles, respectively. The second single, “Breathe Again,” in turn, entered the top five of the Hot 100 and R&B Singles and reached number two on the UK chart.

The remaining singles from the album - "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days" and "How Many Ways" - were released in 1994.

Braxton's debut album received several prestigious awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards in 1994 and one in 1995.

The album "Toni Braxton" is certified eight times platinum.

In 1996, Braxton released his second and most commercially successful album - "Secrets". In addition to Babyface, Toni worked on the album with R Kelly, Tony Rich and David Foster. Braxton also co-executive produced the album and co-wrote two songs on it, including the 1997 single "How Could an Angel Break My Heart". This single was later included in the memorial album dedicated to Diana Princess of Wales Tribute.

With "You're Makin' Me High", the first single from the album, Braxton's first number one on the Hot 100, the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. "You're Makin' Me High" topped the R&B charts. charted for two weeks and had similar success in Europe and Asia.

"Un-Break My Heart", written by Diane Warren and which later became Tony's signature song, became the most successful of her career, spending eleven weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and the same number of weeks at the top of the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart and four weeks on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The single also reached number two on the UK national chart. The single became No. 12 all-time on Billboard magazine's final Hot 100 55th Anniversary chart, dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the main US hit parade.

Other successful singles from the album were the double single "I Don't Want To"/"I Love Me Some Him", which reached number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and the song "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", performed with Kenny G, with whom Braxton later toured.

After 92 weeks on the charts, Secrets was certified eight times platinum, becoming Braxton's second commercially successful album.

Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart

Toni Braxton received two Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards for Best Soul and R&B Female Artist. -blues" and "Best album in the style of soul and rhythm and blues."

In 1998, the five-time Grammy Award winner publicly announced her bankruptcy and $3.9 million in debt. All her property, including prestigious awards, was put up for auction to pay off creditors.

While the trial was ongoing, Braxton nevertheless continued her career, pursuing her acting dream. Braxton was offered the role of Belle in the Disney musical "The beauty and the Beast", which she successfully performed from September 1998 to February 1999 on Broadway. Toni Braxton became the first African-American woman to play a leading role in a Disney musical.

In early 1999, Braxton and LaFace resolved their legal dispute with a completely new contract, under which the singer would continue to record for the label and receive royalties of $25 million. However, despite settling legal problems with the company, her subsequent albums were much less commercially successful.

In January 2000, LaFace Records released "He Wasn't Man Enough", the first single from Braxton's third studio album, The Heat. In June, the song peaked at number two on the Hot 100. The video for the song was nominated for "Best Female Video" and "Best R&B Video" at the MTV Video Music Awards and "Best R&B Video" at the Billboard Music Video Awards. The best video of the year in the style of rhythm and blues."

Album "The Heat" was released on April 25, 2000, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 205,000 copies, and remained in the top twenty of the chart for fifteen consecutive weeks.

Toni Braxton - He Wasn't Man Enough

While writing her third studio album, Braxton again worked with producers Babyface and Foster, as well as Rodney Jerkins and new musician and fan Keri Lewis. She will later marry the latter. Braxton herself also took part in writing and producing many of the tracks on the album.

Second single from the album, song "Just Be a Man About It", ended up only at No. 32 on the Hot 100 and No. 6 on the R&B charts. Third single, ballad "Spanish Guitar", only reached number 98 on the Hot 100, but became number one on the Hot Dance & Club Charts. Fourth single "Maybe", stalled at No. 74 on the rhythm and blues charts and did not make the Hot 100 at all.

Despite the modest commercial success of the singles, The Heat was certified double platinum by the RIAA by the end of that year.

Braxton topped Billboard's year-end charts for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Female Artist, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Female Album and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song. blues and hip-hop performed by women."

The singer received the 2000 Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.

Braxton was also awarded her sixth Grammy for "He Wasn't Man Enough" in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category. Her album was also nominated in the Best R&B Album category, but did not win the award.

The album won the American Music Awards for "Best Soul and R&B Album" in 2001, Braxton's third honor.

Toni Braxton - Spanish Guitar

While preparing to release her fourth studio album, Braxton was pregnant with her second child. Realizing that she would not be able to properly promote and promote her new album, Braxton unsuccessfully asked the label to postpone its release to a later date. But the album was released as previously planned by the company, and was not sufficiently promoted by either the label or Braxton herself, who was going through a difficult pregnancy on bed rest. Braxton accused the company of not being willing to compromise and punishing her for putting her family before her career. On the VH1 television show Inside Out - Family Comes First, Braxton confirmed her difficult pregnancy during the album's release.

Tony's fourth studio album, "More Than a Woman", was released in November 2002 on the LaFace/Arista label and was her last work for that company. From a commercial point of view, the album was a failure, as it only reached 13th place with sales of 97 thousand copies in the first week.

After 14 years of collaboration, in April 2003, Braxton abruptly left the Arista label and promptly signed a new contract with Blackground Records (Universal Music Group), headed by Barry Hankerson, her manager at the time (as well as the uncle and former manager of the late singer Aaliyah and ex-husband singer Gladys Knight). This change of scenery, however, did not help her musical career. The fifth studio album, Libra, received little promotion from the new label and relatively poor sales.

In April 2005, Blackground released "Please"- first single from the upcoming album "Libra". The album itself was originally scheduled to be released in June, but the release date was then changed several times and, in the end, September 27 was chosen as the release date. Unfortunately, this time Braxton's worries about the album's poor promotion and the label's failure to fulfill its obligations did not end. "Please" peaks at number 36 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart and does not make the Hot 100.

The album was certified gold at the end of 2005 and had sold 431 thousand copies by that time.

Meanwhile, Toni Braxton recorded a song "The Time of Our Lives", a duet with the group Il Divo. The song became the official anthem of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was performed at its opening in Berlin on June 9. The song was also performed at the closing ceremony, making Toni Braxton and Il Divo the first performers to be invited to both the opening and closing ceremonies.

The anthem "The Time of Our Lives" reached number 17 on the German national chart. As a result, the German label Edel Records decided to re-release the album "Libra" in Germany with a new composition and new artwork.

That same year, the singer appeared on the final season of American Idol 5, where she performed the song “In the Ghetto” with show favorite Taylor Hicks.

Toni Braxton opened her show Toni Braxton: Revealed at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on August 3, 2006. The show was scheduled to run six nights a week until March 2007. Tony later confirmed that her concerts would continue until August 2007. The show became the first ever solo performance by an African-American performer to reach the top ten shows in Las Vegas.

Due to the success of Braxton's show, Tony's contract was extended until August 2008. However, the singer was hospitalized due to chest pain in April 2008. After this, the show was officially closed, as the singer, at the insistence of doctors, had to concentrate on her health.

In August 2008, Braxton was confirmed to participate in the seventh season of the television dance competition show Dancing with the Stars, in which she took part until October 21. In addition to the show, Braxton, along with other stars of the project, took part in a winter tour from December 2008 to February 2009.

The singer's seventh studio album was released on May 4, 2010, entitled "Pulse" in CD and digital download formats from Atlantic Records. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and No. 12 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart.

The first single from the album was the song "Yesterday", which premiered on September 11, 2009 on the Essence magazine website, and was commercially released on May 3, 2010. The single reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Toni Braxton - Yesterday

On January 29, 2010, two more songs from the future album were published on Braxton's official website - “Hands Tied” and “Make My Heart”. The videos for both songs were directed by Billy Woodruff, who previously directed videos for her hits "Un-Break My Heart" (1996) and "He Wasn't Man Enough" (2000). The premiere of the clips took place in mid-April.

The single "Make My Heart" peaked at number 29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single "Hands Tied" peaked at number 31 on the same chart.

The premiere of the next song from the album, "Woman", took place on June 28, 2010 on the Yahoo Music website. The video is a live performance of the song.

In early October 2010, Toni Braxton announced that she was filing for bankruptcy again. The first time she did this was in 1998. Braxton stated that she owns no more than $10 million, while her debts could reach up to $50 million.

At the beginning of 2011, it became known that Toni Braxton would be filming a new reality show about her family for the American cable channel WE tv. Show Braxton Family Values(“Braxton Family Values”), which opened April 12, focuses on the interpersonal relationships of Toni, her mother Evelyn and her four sisters Trina, Taymar, Tracy and Towanda.

The show was so successful that not only was it renewed for a second season with an additional 19 episodes instead of the original 13 episodes, but the new season was also fast-tracked from 2012 to early November 2011.

At the beginning of September 2011, the American music magazine Billboard reported that Toni Braxton had signed a contract with the Los Angeles-based company The Collective, which promotes artists on the world stage.

On September 17, Toni Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Atlanta.

In 2001, Braxton made her big screen debut with a small role in the comedy “In the Next World.” In 2004, Braxton voiced a singing character named Tony in a special episode for the DVD release of the American children's show Blue's Clues.

In August 2005, Braxton announced that she was set to star in a sitcom pilot for The WB's fall season. But these plans failed, as the channel ceased to exist in the fall of 2006 due to reorganization.

Braxton also starred in the sitcom Kevin Hill.

Braxton starred in the film “The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure” - the prototype of her heroine, singer Rosalie Rosebud, became.

Toni Braxton Height: 157 centimeters.

Personal life of Toni Braxton:

Toni was married to musician Keri Lewis from 2001-2013.

The couple has two sons - Denim Kai Braxton-Lewis (born 12/02/2001) and Diesel Kai Braxton-Lewis (born 03/31/2003).

At a concert at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in October 2006, Braxton broke down in tears while talking about her youngest son, Diesel, having recently been diagnosed with autism.

Braxton directly blamed the doctor for not recognizing the disease earlier, otherwise the child could have received more help.

Currently, Toni Braxton is a spokesperson for the autism organization Autism Speaks, as well as the American Heart Association, a charitable organization dedicated to reducing the risk of heart disease.

Toni Braxton's Health Issues:

In August 2007, rumors appeared in the media that Braxton had breast cancer. Braxton herself stated that these rumors are false and her health is in excellent condition. In 2008, it was reported that Braxton had a benign tumor removed.

On April 8, 2008, four months before the end of her Las Vegas show, Braxton was briefly hospitalized. Subsequent performances were cancelled. Later, on the Dancing with the Stars show, the singer announced that she had capillaropathy.

In November 2010, Braxton revealed that she was suffering from lupus.

Discography of Toni Braxton:

2003 - Ultimate Toni Braxton
2004 - Artist Collection: Toni Braxton
2004 - Platinum & Gold
2005 - Un-Break My Heart: The Remix Collection
2005 - Breathe Again: Toni Braxton at Her Best
2007 - The Essential Toni Braxton
2008 - Playlist: The Very Best of Toni Braxton
2010 - Essential Mixes

Filmography of Toni Braxton:

2001 - In the Other World (Kingdom Come) - Juanita Slowcumb
2002 - Play'd: A Hip Hop Story - Shonda
2005 - Kevin Hill - Terry Knox
2012 - The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure - Rosalie Rosebud

How, in just five years, she managed to bridge the gap between an unremarkable girl from a large family, stuffed with religious prejudices through the efforts of her parents, and a world-class superstar, successfully competing with the monsters of the soul music scene - the answer to this question is given by the biography of the singer, which does not include no secrets, no white spots.

Toni was born on October 7, 1967, in the small Maryland town of Severn, in the family of a priest. Despite the black color of her skin, which she inherited from her father, Spanish and Russian blood flows in Tony’s veins (on her mother’s side). The eldest of six children, who throughout her childhood dreamed of ordinary jeans, but through the efforts of conservative parents was forced to walk like a black parrot among colorful classmates, who fiercely hated long dresses, prim hats and Sunday services in church, Toni is a modest, inconspicuous schoolgirl with whom no one wanted to be friends - vowed to “show them all what she can do.” The only entertainment available to her is singing in the church choir and listening to her favorite records of Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones, obtained in an almost “illegal” way, at minimum volume, late at night. “I was terribly angry when I was forbidden to listen to music and watch TV,” she recalls, smiling. Tony. - And these terrible, shapeless skirts!: To be honest, as much as I wanted to buy Chaka Kahn in the store across the street, I wanted to put on trousers, line my eyes properly and show up to church in such a way that everyone’s hair would stand on end. !"

After graduating from school and leaving parental care, Toni and her four sisters formed their own band - "The Braxton"s, which released only one single - "The good life". But the composition was not successful with the public, which is why the family quintet broke up. Tony's subsequent studies at Bowie State University with the noble goal of devoting himself to teaching did not have a happy ending. Acquaintance with the owners of the LaFace label, eminent producers Al A. Reed and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, radically changed. her life. Toni became the first woman to sign a contract with LaFace Records.

Success came in early 1992, with the recording of the soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang. The song "Give U My Heart", performed in a duet with Babyface, became a touchstone. It was followed by a solo single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home". In 1993, the diva's debut album, "Toni Braxton", was released, which gained worldwide recognition and sold 19 million copies (8 million copies in the USA and 11 million copies in the world). The compositions “Another Sad Love Song”, “You Mean the world to me”, “Seven Whole Days” and many others were highly praised. In 1994, Toni won 2 Grammy Awards, 3 American Music Awards and 2 Soul Train Music Awards. In 1995, Toni won her third Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Performance for "Breathe Again". Shy Tony didn’t even count on such a result. All the more seriously, fearing not to live up to her hopes, she took the creation of her second album with the intriguing title “Secrets”, released in 1996. As you can see, the preparation period took three years. But the result, largely predetermined by collaboration with a galaxy of experienced producers, including Babyface, Tony Rich, and Diane Warren, exceeded all expectations.

Tony's unusual vocals, chesty warm contralto and utmost sincerity (most of the tracks on the album are autobiographical) can touch even the most insensitive soul. It’s no wonder that “Secrets,” which confirmed Tony’s status as one of the most significant and vibrant figures on the soul scene of the nineties, was praised by the authoritative Billboard. And doesn’t the recognition of millions of listeners mean anything? In 1997, Tony again won 2 Grammy Awards in nominations for Best Female Vocal Performance ("Un-Break My Heart") and Best Female R&B Performance ("You"re Makin' Me High") One of the singles from the album, "I Don"t Want To", won best song." 97 in soul style.

However, then a series of troubles began in Tony's life: the wrong financial policy of the record label led Miss Braxton to bankruptcy. In December 1997, Toni began legal proceedings against Arista and LaFace Records. She claimed that she had fulfilled what her 7-year contract with the Arista record company required of her. As a result, the singer wanted to be released from this contract. But neither Arista nor LaFace wanted to let go of the diva, who was bringing them huge profits. Her albums sold in huge quantities, and she received a pittance from them, since debutants were no longer paid, and as a result, bankruptcy, accompanied by loud scandals. Despite the ongoing litigation, in 1998 the American Music Awards awarded the singer with awards in the categories: Favorite Female Artist Rock/Pop and Favorite Female artist. But these awards did not save Toni from impending bankruptcy: on January 30, 1998, she registered her debts - more than $ 1 million. Shortly after this, she gave an interview to Oprah Winfrey, in which she announced that she intended to release a new album in the near future. But in order to pay off all his debts, Tony goes to Broadway, where he plays the main role in the musical "Beauty and the Beast", which was a great success with the audience. In early 1999, MTV reported that Toni Braxton's legal dispute with Arista had been settled. The label returned Tony her honestly earned money, and the diva signed a contract with America's largest recording corporation - BMG, while maintaining her contract with Arista, and began work on her third album.

A year and a half of exhausting work in the studio, and on April 24, 2000, Tony presented to the public her new disc - “The Heat”, which successfully combines lyrical ballads and fiery dance melodies. The first single from it, “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” brought the diva her sixth Grammy Award, and the ballad “Spanish Guitar” won Soul Train, American and British Music Awards.

Toni co-wrote many of the songs on the album with Carey Lewis, the keyboardist for Mint Condition, whom she met during her bankruptcy. Keri helped her cope with many problems, including internal ones: Toni was experiencing a deep mental crisis. As a result, Luce proposed to her; Tony doubted it for a long time, but after much thought and sleepless nights, she accepted it. All fears finally disappeared when, standing in front of the altar of the church, she heard the answer “yes”, and all doubts disappeared when Toni found out that she would be a mother.

Shortly after the 2001 Grammy Awards, where Toni appeared in a shockingly open dress, Miss Braxton and Carey Luce got married on April 26. And on December 2, 2001, Toni gave birth to a son, who was named Dennis Cole Braxton Lewis. Already While pregnant, Toni recorded and released an album entirely dedicated to Christmas - "Snowflakes", i.e. "Snowflakes". The album is a set of soul and R&B ballads - typical winter soft melodies, warm, relaxing and soothing vocals...

In 2000-2001, Toni starred in two films - "Kingdom Come" ("In the Next World") and "Play"d: A Hip-Hop Story", which tells the story of a rap singer who fights the criminal world that drags him in. Thus Thus, the singer realized her long-time dream of becoming a film actress. In the future, Tony plans to continue her film career and try herself as a producer.

In November 2002, the diva's fifth disc, More Than a Woman, was released. As the singer herself said, the title of the album reflected her entire ten-year creative journey: “All the years I have lived on stage, in this truly cruel, male-dominated world of show business, allow me to call the album exactly that. With this album I will present to the audience a new a revolution in our creative career. We tried to do something completely new, I hope we succeeded.” But it simply couldn’t work out. The first single from the album, Hit the Freeway, went platinum within a few weeks, once again confirming the versatility of Toni Braxton's talent. Overall, More Than a Woman is a very strong piece of music, the strength of which lies mainly in the unity of the compositions. As before, many famous composers took part in the work on the album. But despite the influence of talented musicians, Toni Braxton's new album turned out to be deeply personal. She took part in the recording of each composition, and she herself selected the creative team for the work. Several melodies were written by her sister Tamar, who has been working with the performer for several years. There are compositions that were co-written by Babyface and Rodney Jerkins; a major contribution to the creation of the album was made by the singer’s husband, Carey Luce, who created the composition Lies, Lies, Lies, unusual for the rock diva’s style. Thus, Toni really decided to give her fans “something special.” But the main thing that the popular soul singer managed to preserve is her great love and passion for work. More Than a Woman is, on the one hand, evidence of Tony’s further creative development, and on the other hand, this is a work centered on the theme of family. The last piece of this puzzle was the news that Tony and Keri are expecting a new addition to their family next spring.

Now, in 2003, the singer is again full of creative plans, including organizing the upcoming world tour in the summer of 2003, filming her new film, recording new songs... But nevertheless, all this fades into the background for Tony, she is no longer can devote as much time to his career as before. The main thing for her now is her family: her husband and son, with whom she lives in a huge mansion in Miami...

In everyday life, Toni Braxton is not nearly as active as in her creative life. It’s worth starting with the fact that creativity occupies a strictly defined and by no means such a large time interval in her daily routine. Tony is a late bird. It starts to become active between 10 pm and 5 am. Such a regime is not a whim, but a necessity. “You won’t believe it, my voice in the morning is like Barry White’s. Without seeing me, you might think that a man is singing...” the diva admitted. Toni is much more ordinary than you might think. Nothing shocking: horoscope: Libra, height five feet two inches, weight 98 pounds, bust size 2, favorite food - potato chips, favorite flowers - tulips. The only pet is a huge Neapolitan Mastino named Rasputin, who, zealously protecting the life and property of the mistress he idolizes, constantly encroaches on the dogs and cats living in the neighborhood. True, he doesn’t disdain the stars that come into Tony’s house...

The singer never considered herself a sex symbol or a natural beauty, but she no longer remembers exactly how many times she was included in the list of “The most beautiful, sexy and talented people in the world.” FHM magazine also treats its latest inclusion in the “beauties” category with a grin: “If my fans want to see me as a supermodel and a sex symbol, well, so be it. In fact, I have never been and will never be either one or the other.” "I'm an ordinary woman, not a picture from the cover of a fashion magazine. Leave it all to Claudia Schiffer." By the way, Claudia is Tony's good friend. They often go shopping together and go on vacation with their families. Toni, by the way, has many friends and, as she said in one interview, “no matter where I am, mentally I am always with them.” So, those with whom Tony always “mentally” include Elizabeth Hilton, Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston, her teacher Patricia Kaas and many other people very close to her, for whom Tony is ready to sacrifice everything, even her life.

Tony spends his free time at home with a book on the couch. In music he prefers instrumental, pleasant and light. If he wants to be sad: he turns on Sting or Barbra Streisand, think - “Queen”, Mylene Farmer, and Shaggy’s music helps Tony relax and have fun. By the way, Toni maintains friendly relations with many of them, which is not a big problem - most of the stars listed are her housemates in Miami. At the same time, Tony is very skeptical about the fly-by-night “stars” who have filled the modern stage, and who, moreover, are trying to sing in the soul style with almost complete absence of hearing and voice.

It must be admitted that Toni Braxton has never suffered from particular modesty: the video clips for her songs are some of the most expensive in the history of these very videos, she has many houses in the USA and mountains of jewelry. But all this - gold, furs, diamonds, private jets and expensive cars, a multimillion-dollar fortune, a huge number of music awards, the adoration of fans, friendship with titled artists and what every person needs - quiet family happiness - Toni achieved and achieved all this herself. There are no secrets, no blind spots or unexpected twists of fate in the fate of Toni Braxton. Ups and downs, the favor of the gods and the mercy of fortune do not attract her. Chance is not her patron. Hard work and accurate calculations are her bets and, mind you, absolutely win-win.

As the daughter of a priest, she secretly listened to lay musicians when her parents were not at home. At the beginning of her biography, Toni Braxton sang in a church choir. This provided an opportunity to develop her natural talent.

However, she soon recorded “The Good Life” (1990) with her sister. Then Toni became a solo singer. Her debut album was released in 1993 and sold 9.5 million copies. It brought Braxton a Grammy Award, three American Music Awards, and two Soul Train Awards.

In 1996, Braxton's follow-up album, “Secrets,” was released under the LaFace label. Negotiations regarding a contract between Braxton, Arista, and LaFace companies failed in 1996, and the following year the singer filed for bankruptcy.

Some say this is Braxton's way of getting out of her contract. However, the judge supported the singer's side, agreeing to cancel the contract. Ultimately, the controversy ended, and Braxton's new album, The Heat, was released in 2000. Her last album, Libra, was released in 2005. Braxton married Keri Lewis in 2001 and the couple has two children.

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The famous American singer and composer Toni Braxton grew up in a large family of a priest, in which she is the eldest daughter. The girl was raised in strictness, observing all traditions and customs.

The star's full name is Toni Michelle Braxton. She was born on October 7, 1967. Place of birth - Maryland (information from Wikipedia). The performer’s magnificent voice is admired by millions of listeners. Tony's biography is very fascinating. It took her a long time to achieve her popularity and did a lot for it.

Childhood

Braxton fell in love with music at an early age; she sang in the children's choir at church. The girl's parents wanted their daughter to become a teacher. She even attended Bowie State University. But soon the future star became eager to become a singer.

While still very young, Toni and her four sisters created a group called “The Braxtons”. The team became popular thanks to the song “Good Life”. The single appeared in the 90s. And although the video for this song did not bring the singer to the level to which she aspired, she was still noticed by influential representatives of American show business.

Such famous people as Babyface and A. Reid became interested in Tony. Anita Baker, who wrote the song “Love Shoulda Brought You Home,” suggested Braxton record it because she was expecting a child. This song was created for the Hollywood film "Boomerang", in which Eddie Murphy played the main role. Toni Braxton began collaborating with La Face Records, whose representatives were Babyface and Arista Records. Soon Braxton was ready to release her first disc, which became one of the most successful in her creative career.

Creation

The performer's first disc is the album “Toni Braxton”. It was released in 1993 and led the American charts for quite a long time. The first video was shot for the song “Another Sad Love Song”. For a long time he occupied first place in the charts.

In 1994, such strong singles, permeated with feelings and emotions, appeared as: “Breathe Again” (“Breathe Again”). “Seven Whole Days” (“Seven whole days”). “How Many Ways” (“How many ways”). “You Mean the World to Me” (“You mean the whole world to me”).

The disc “Toni Braxton” was a huge success and won many prizes. Among them are three Grammy awards. For two years in a row (1994 and 1995), Braxton received prizes at the American Music Awards. This album helped the singer reach a higher level and become the favorite of a huge number of viewers.

The second album, which turned out to be even more successful than the first, was “Secrets”. During that period, Braxton began working with very popular stars. In 1997, the performer’s most beautiful composition entitled “How Could an Angel Break My Heart” was released. The composition is part of an album dedicated to memory.

However, it should be noted that the real popularity and love of listeners came to the performer after the release of the sad and incredibly beautiful composition “Un-Break My Heart” (“Don’t break my heart”), written by D. Warren. This song became the singer’s talisman, her calling card, the most recognizable composition in her creative career. For 11 weeks, the single took only first place in all charts!

The album “Secrets” became the most successful in the singer’s solo career. It topped the American music charts for 92 weeks. It was certified platinum eight times. For the composition “Un-Break My Heart” the singer received two Grammy awards. Soon, Braxton went on a concert tour with the popular singer Kenny G. This composition helped her win two prizes at the American Music Awards.

But, despite the resounding success, in 1998, Braxton announced that she was bankrupt and had a debt that exceeded $3.9 million. In order to pay off this debt, all the star's property and real estate were put up for sale. Despite the legal proceedings, huge problems and worries, the singer continued to engage in musical creativity, record hits and release videos.

In 1998, Toni Braxton played the lead role in the musical “Beauty and the Beast.” Filming lasted two years. Braxton is the first African-American singer to star in a Disney project.

By the end of 1999, the singer had almost overcome her financial difficulties; a new contract was signed with “La Face”, which promised to solve all remaining problems in order to pay off the debt. It was planned that the new disc would bring the singer a fee of $25 million. But all of Braxton's subsequent albums did not have such tremendous success as the previous two.

In 2000, Toni Braxton released her third album, which was called “He Wasn’t Man Enough.” The song “The Heat” becomes the single. For a long time, the composition took third place on the Hot 100 chart. The album did not leave the top twenty of the chart for a long time.

The musicians Foster, Babyfes and C. Lewis, who later became her husband, helped the performer record this disc. The single “Just Be a Man About It” from the third disc was not a great success. In the charts it only occupied number thirty-two. And Braxton’s wonderful composition “Spanish Guitar” took 98th place in the Hot 100 for a long time. However, this song was a leader in the Hot Dance & Club Charts.

Another single from the album is the song “Maybe,” which also did not bring much success to Tony and for a long time occupied only 74th place on the chart, never making it into the Hot 100. Despite the fact that the singles of the third album did not bring success to the singer, the disc was still certified two times platinum by the RIAA. Already in 2001, this disc brought the singer victory at the American Music Awards.

During the period when Toni was releasing her fourth album, she was pregnant with her second son, and it was difficult for her to work. The pregnancy proceeded with complications. Tony was put on bed rest.

She did not want to rush into releasing the album, since due to her condition she could not advertise it well. But the disc was still released. The singer was extremely upset and accused her companions of releasing the disc against her wishes. She decided that they wanted to teach her a lesson because she put her health and family problems above her work.

The album “More Than a Woman” was recorded in 2002. It became Braxton's last collaboration with Arista. The album took thirteenth position, and in the first days after its release only 97,000 discs were sold.

In 2003, Braxton left Arista and signed a contract with Barry Hankerson, who headed Blackground Records (Universal Music Group). This contract helped the singer return to her previous activities, but subsequent albums did not take advantageous places in the charts. The new album “Libra” had insignificant sales and could not take the singer to a new level.

In 2005, a composition from the fifth album was recorded, called “Please”. The song took only 36th place on the chart and failed to enter the “hot hundred”. This turn of events upset the star. At the end of 2005, the disc received gold status: 431,000 copies were sold. At the same time, the delightful composition “The Time of Our Lives” was born, which the singer performed with the magnificent quartet “Il Divo”. For a long time, the song occupied 17th position in the German chart. The album “Libra” was re-released in Germany, where it was designed in a new way.

In 2006, Toni launched her show in Las Vegas. This show was only scheduled for six days, but Braxton extended her concerts for a longer period of time. The show in Las Vegas hit the top ten and brought enormous success to the performer. But the singer’s joy was short-lived. In 2008, she felt unwell and was taken to hospital with severe chest pain.

The show was officially canceled. On the advice of doctors, Tony should give up work for a while and devote all his time to health. But already in August, Braxton took part in the “Dancing with the Stars” project. The new, seventh album was “Pulse” (2010), which turned out to be quite successful. It ranked ninth on the chart.

Reality show

In 2010, Braxton again, like twelve years ago, publicly declares that she is bankrupt, and her debt exceeds $50 million. At that time, the singer did not have the opportunity to pay off the debt. To solve the problem, Braxton decides to create a shocking project - a reality show about his family. The project was called “Braxton Family Values.” The main focus here was on the female part of the Braxton family: her mother and four younger sisters. The show was a great success and was renewed for several more seasons.

Personal life

Tony's personal life is not so stormy and eventful. Braxton was married to Keri Lewis for a long time. The couple had two sons - Diesel and Kai. The youngest son was diagnosed with autism, and this is a huge tragedy for the singer. For a long time she accused doctors of missing this problem and not making a timely diagnosis.

In 2007, there were rumors that the star was suffering from a terrible disease, as if she had a mammary tumor. But Braxton denied these rumors and said that she felt great. Keri and Toni Braxton lived together for twelve years. Braxton and her husband divorced in 2013. Author: Irina Angelova