Toni Braxton

Braxton got married to musician Keri Lewis in 2001. The couple had two sons together: Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis and Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis. Braxton and Lewis separated in 2009 after staying together for more than 8 years.

In 2008, Braxton was diagnosed with microvascular angina and a few years later she found out that she has systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a very serious autoimmune disease.

Toni Braxton was born on October 7, 1967 in Severn, Maryland, to Michael and Evelyn Braxton. Her father was a minister, which is why she was brought up in a very strict religious environment.

Braxton and her four sisters started singing from a young age at their father’s church. They were not allowed to engage with the popular culture but they were permitted to listen to singers like, Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan.

She took part in local talent shows and upon finishing her high school she decided to become a music teacher. She joined the Bowie State University but left it midway as songwriter Bill Pettaway convinced her to sing professionally.

Braxton signed a contract with Arista Records and ‘The Braxtons’ released their first single ‘The Good Life’ in 1990. It was not a great hit but got her a deal with LaFace Records.

The year 1992 marked the beginning of Braxton’s prolific career as she was asked to replace Anita Baker and sing for Eddie Murphy’s movie ‘Boomerang’. She gained her first hit single, ‘Love Shoulda Brought You Home’.

This led to the release of her debut, ‘Toni Braxton’ in 1993. It had hits like ‘Breathe Again’, ‘You Mean the World to Me’ and ‘Another Love Song’; the record went on to sell more than 8 million copies.

She released ‘Secrets’ in 1996, which included the single ‘Un-Break My Heart’ and the hit ‘You Make Me High’. She won two Grammys for the album: for best female R&B vocal performance and best female R&B pop vocal performance.

After such a huge success, a third album was expected from Braxton but she got into a contractual feud with Arista Records as she did not get enough cut from her record sales. She filed for bankruptcy in 1998.

The most prominent work of Braxton’s career is undoubtedly her single, ‘Un-break My Heart’ from ‘Secrets (1996)’. The song reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 11 weeks; it also won her a Grammy Award.