Toni was born on October 7, 1967 in Severn, Maryland to a family that strictly adhered to the tenets of the Apostolic Faith, of which Braxton's father was a minister. Certainly no popular music was allowed in the home, but Toni and her siblings (4 sisters and 1 brother) would get a sneak peek at the current happenings anytime they could. "I used to sneak Soul Train when my parents would leave the house to go shopping on Saturday," recalls Braxton, who sang in the church choir from an early age. Her technical skill came from her mother, an amateur opera singer, but watching the biggest R&B stars of the seventies on TV--particularly Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, and Quincy Jones--planted a different kind of seed. Things lightened up at home when Braxton was about eleven and her parents joined the less strict United Methodist faith.
Toni eventually studied teaching at Bowie State University, but her true passion for singing wouldn't allow her to do anything else. Her first break came after she and three of her sisters, performing as the Braxtons, signed to Arista Records and hit the low end of the Billboard R&B charts with "The Good Life." The record caught the attention of L.A. and Babyface, who signed Braxton to LaFace in 1991. Then another break: a pregnant Anita Baker bowed out of singing on the Boomerang soundtrack, which the two producers were overseeing. At Baker's suggestion, they threw a couple of tracks to Braxton: "Give U My Heart," a duet with Babyface, hit No. 29 on Billboard, while "Love Shoulda Brought You Home"--which also appeared on her debut album--hit No. 33. It was a fortuitous start.
Braxton's self-titled debut, meanwhile, sold more than seven million copies and earned her three Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, and two Soul Train Music Awards. There were five hits from the album, all of which earned gold records.
In 1996, all of Toni's "Secrets" were reveiled to the world. Her sophomore album reveiled a more seductive and sexier Toni-the second track "You're Makin' Me High"--which won a 1996 Billboard Award for Best R&B Single--dealt with eroticism and masturbation. She also became more involved in creating her music, by co-writtingfour songs. Secrets quickly turned into another multi-million-seller. She cleaned up again at the 1997 Grammy Awards, winning Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for "Un-Break My Heart" and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "You're Makin' Me High."
After a four year hiatuus of bankruptcy and record label issues, Toni Braxton is back...with avengance. Her third album "The Heat" is sure to be a multi-million-seller, much like her two previous albums. As much as the title suggests, Toni surely has turned up "The Heat," the first track "He Wasn't Man Enough" features and attitudy Toni Braxton, backlashing at a friend who has married her ex. Tracks such as "Just Be A Man About It," "Spanisht Guitar," "Gimme Some," and "I'm Still Breathing" ( a spinoff from her self-titled album's "Breathe Again") are sure to kee p braxton afloat in the world of R&B.
