Toni Braxton

Braxton was married to musician Keri Lewis from 2001 to 2013, and they have two sons, Denim and Diezel. She became an International Spokesperson for Autism Speaks after Diezel was diagnosed with autism. Braxton and Lewis met when his group, Mint Condition, opened for her on tour.

Braxton began dating rapper Birdman in 2016, and they announced their engagement in 2018. They married on August 8, 2024; Braxton filed for divorce two weeks later and dismissed the filing in January 2025. She has also been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and microvascular angina.

Braxton began performing with her sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar in the R&B group the Braxtons. The group signed with Arista Records in 1989 and released the single "Good Life" in 1990. The song drew the attention of record executive Antonio "L.A." Reid and producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who signed Braxton as a solo artist to LaFace Records.

Her self-titled debut album was released in 1993 and reached number one on the Billboard 200. It included "Another Sad Love Song," "Breathe Again" and "You Mean the World to Me," and earned Braxton three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. Her second album, Secrets (1996), featured "You're Makin' Me High" and "Un-Break My Heart." The latter spent 11 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her signature song.

Braxton followed Secrets with The Heat (2000), which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and produced the hit single "He Wasn't Man Enough." Later albums included Snowflakes, More Than a Woman, Libra, Pulse, Sex & Cigarettes and Spell My Name. Her duet album with Babyface, Love, Marriage & Divorce (2014), won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

Braxton made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast in 1998. She became the first Black actress to play Belle in a Broadway production, and composer Alan Menken wrote the song "A Change in Me" specifically for her run. She later played Aida in Aida and returned to Broadway with Babyface in After Midnight in 2014.

Her film acting debut came in the comedy Kingdom Come (2001), followed by roles in The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, Twist of Faith, Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story, Every Day Is Christmas and the Fallen Angels Murder Club films. She also competed on Dancing with the Stars and appeared as the Pufferfish on The Masked Singer.

In 2011, Braxton became an executive producer and star of Braxton Family Values, a reality series centered on her and her sisters. She was also an executive producer of the spinoff Tamar & Vince and later appeared in the WE tv series The Braxtons.

Braxton is recognized for her distinctive contralto and deep, husky voice. Her music developed from traditional R&B, soft rock ballads and love songs into styles that incorporated hip-hop soul and dance music. She also displayed classical training through her Broadway performances and her duet with Il Divo, "The Time of Our Lives," which served as the official anthem of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Braxton has won seven Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards and seven American Music Awards. She was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and received the Legend Award at the Soul Train Music Awards in 2017. Rolling Stone ranked her number 48 on its 2023 list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.