Toni Braxton First Album
Maria Mauri
The album has sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States and 10 million copies worldwide.[2][3]It earned Braxton several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album).
The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at numbers seven and two on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively. The album's second single, "Breathe Again", reached the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B charts and at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Other singles were released from Toni Braxton in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", and the double A-side "I Belong to You"/"How Many Ways".
In Japan, the album was released as Love Affair, also a song on the album. The Japanese edition contains the same track listing as the standard version; the only difference is the Obi strip and the bonus lyrics booklet written in Japanese.
Toni Braxton received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Ron Wynn from AllMusic said that the album showcased Braxton as "an elegant and earthy songstress, nicely balancing those seemingly divergent sentiments [...] Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic, dismayed, and disillusioned [...] but she's never out of control, indignant, or so anguished and hurt that she fails to retain her dignity."[5] Los Angeles Times critic Connie Johnson wrote: "Sounding like an unlikely hybrid of Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker and Tracy Chapman, Braxton's sultry, earthy delivery makes her a standout in today's R&B arena."[8] Similarly, People found that "when Braxton slides into her lower register she echoes Anita Baker, and when she skips around the higher notes there's also a hint of Whitney Houston. The influences are there, but Toni Braxton is most definitely her own woman. On this sophisticated, stylish and soulful album, she slates her case."[15]
The album earned Braxton several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album).
Toni Braxton debuted at number 36 on the Billboard 200 for the week ending July 31, 1993.[17] Following Braxton's appearance at the American Music Awards of 1994, the album rose from number seven to number one in its 31st week on the chart, on the issue dated February 26, 1994, becoming the first number-one album for LaFace Records.[18] It spent a second non-consecutive week atop the Billboard 200 for the week ending March 19, 1994, following the 36th Annual Grammy Awards.[19] The album has sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States and 10 million copies worldwide.[2][3]
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967[4]) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, and numerous other accolades. In 2011, Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 2017 she was honored with the Legend Award at the Soul Train Music Awards.[5]
In the late 1980s, Braxton began performing with her sisters in a music group known as The Braxtons; the group was signed to Arista Records. After attracting the attention of producers Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and being signed to LaFace Records, Braxton released her self-titled debut studio album in 1993. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 10 million copies worldwide. In addition, the singles "Another Sad Love Song" and "Breathe Again" became international successes. The album brought Braxton three Grammy Awards, including the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Braxton is also a television executive producer and personality. She competed in the seventh season of the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars. She has executive produced and starred in Braxton Family Values, a reality television series that aired on We TV from 2011 to 2020. Braxton was also an executive producer of Tamar & Vince, a spinoff reality TV series starring her younger sister, Tamar.
Toni Michele Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland,[6] on October 7, 1967.[4] Her father, Michael Conrad Braxton Sr., was a Methodist[7][8] clergyman and power company worker, and her mother, Evelyn Jackson, a native of South Carolina, was a former opera singer and cosmetologist, as well as a pastor.[9][10] Braxton's maternal grandfather was also a pastor.[11]
Braxton is the eldest of six siblings.[12] She has a younger brother Michael Jr. (born 1968) and four younger sisters Traci Renee (1971 - 2022), Towanda Chloe (born 1973), Trina Evette (born 1974), and Tamar Estine (born 1977). They were raised in a strict religious household,[13] and Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir.[13]
Braxton attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree,[14] but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway Jr., who reportedly heard her singing to herself while pumping gas.[15]
On her appearance May 24, 2014, broadcast of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, she stated that she was not singing to herself at the gas station. Pettaway, working as an attendant at the Annapolis service station where she was refueling, recognized her from local performances and introduced himself, saying he wanted to produce her. Although skeptical, Braxton decided to, in her words, "take a chance" and accepted.[16]
Braxton and her four sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar began performing as The Braxtons in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, "Good Life", was released in 1990.[17] Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of record executive Antonio "L.A." Reid and record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.[17] Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", a song that they had written for Anita Baker for the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's film, Boomerang. Baker, who was pregnant at the time, did not record the song but suggested that Braxton record it.[18] Her recording was later included on the soundtrack along with "Give U My Heart", a duet by Braxton and Babyface. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and immediately began recording her solo debut album.[citation needed]
In July 1993, LaFace released Braxton's self-titled debut album.[19] Primarily produced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 and entered the top ten of the albums chart in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.[20] The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number seven and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts respectively.[21] The album's second single, "Breathe Again", peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts[21] and no 2 in the UK.[22] More singles from Toni Braxton were released in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", and "I Belong to You/How Many Ways".[21]
Braxton's debut album won her several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995).[23] She won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist)[23] in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album).[23] Toni Braxton was certified 8 platinum in USA and has sales of over 10 million worldwide.[24][25]
In June 1996, Braxton released her second album Secrets.[26] Motivated "to include a little bit of everything,"[27] Braxton reteamed with Babyface, but also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album, which she co-produced.[28] A major success, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and reached the top ten on most international charts.[29] After 92 weeks in the charts, Secrets was certified 8 platinum, becoming Braxton's second straight 8 million-seller. Internationally, Secrets sold more than 15 million copies, further cementing Braxton's superstar status.[25] The album's first single, "You're Makin' Me High", marked Braxton's first number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100,[21] while follow-up "Un-Break My Heart", a ballad written and composed by Diane Warren, became the biggest hit of Braxton's career yet. It spent eleven consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and enjoyed worldwide top five success.[17][30][31]
As a result, Braxton topped several of Billboard's year-end charts,[32] and won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance[23] for "Un-Break My Heart" and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "You're Makin' Me High" as well as two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album.[23] Still waiting on her financial rewards, Braxton eventually launched an unsuccessful lawsuit against Arista and LaFace Records. Soon after, she filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Public reaction to these events was very harsh, having been expressed most clearly in an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[33]
Braxton has appeared in two Disney Broadway shows: She made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast beginning September 9, 1998, when she replaced Kim Huber.[34] During her run in the show Alan Menken wrote and composed a new song for the musical, titled "A Change in Me", which he specially wrote and composed for Braxton, and was still being used in the musical as of late July 2014.[35] She left the production on February 28, 1999, and was succeeded by Andrea McArdle.[36] Her role in Beauty and the Beast marked the first (and only) time a black woman commanded the leading role of Belle on Broadway. (In the UK, Michelle Gayle played the role in the West End.) It also marked the first time a black woman would star in a Disney musical on Broadway. In 1999, the lawsuit against LaFace Records was settled and Braxton was given back all her possessions, giving her time to record The Heat, her first album in four years.[37]
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