IN CONVERSATION WITH TONI BRAXTON

interview by JANA LETONJA

Seven-time Grammy winner, multimillion-selling R&B/pop icon, actress/producer, business entrepreneur, best-selling author and philanthropist Toni Braxton is celebrating her fourth decade in R&B. She is headed to The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for a collaboration with legendary comic and close friend Cedric The Entertainer. Their ‘Love & Laughter residency’, which features Toni and Cedric on blending their singing and comedy skills simultaneously, has been extended through July 2026. Toni is also currently working on her 10th studio album, as well as executive producing multiple projects under her production company Braxtoni Productions.

You’ve been a force in the music industry for over four decades. Looking back, what do you think has allowed your music to stand the test of time?

I think it's because there's a lot of classic love songs, and I think love songs are universal for everyone. Having a broken heart and feeling like you could sing a song is going to help you get through it. The quality of the songs, having the great producers and working with people like Diane Warren who writes all these fantastic love songs, I think the genre of music that I've been able to do over the years has helped me sustain because sometimes music is timeless. Like that classic Chanel black dress, it never goes out of style.

bodysuit ZIMMERMAN
jacket RETROFETE
tights SHEERTEX
jewelry SHEDEAN JEWELS

From “Breathe Again” to “Un-Break My Heart” to “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” your songs are iconic. Do you have a personal favorite, and what makes it especially dear to you?

I have a couple favorite songs. People think it would be ‘Un-break My Heart’. It's not, my favorite to perform is ‘Breathe Again’. Whenever I perform it, I do a lot of audience participation and I'll have someone sing it with me and it makes me feel more connected to my fans.

I remember when I first heard it, I knew it was a hit automatically, no matter who sang it. And the song wasn't for me. It was actually for TLC. They passed on it and I just happened to get it. So I remember when I first heard it, I thought it's such a beautiful love song.

You came up during an era of powerhouse R&B vocalists. How do you feel today’s music landscape compares to when you first started?

Definitely different. I do love that the nineties are coming back. Like the younger generation, they are obsessed with the nineties, so that makes me feel like we did something right. I think now music changes like fashion changes, and the ballads aren't what kids are doing now. But I do get to hear people like Rihanna always giving us like a ballad or two in her albums, which we always love. Beyonce always gives us that. But this is not the generation of ballads. I think it will probably come back in the next couple years.

Your ‘Love & Laughter’ residency with Cedric The Entertainer has been extended through July 2026. What has this experience been like for you, and what excites you the most about it?

What's fun about it is I get to be with Cedric who makes me laugh all the time. And it's a really good show. We are doing something like Sonny and Cher, so it's like a variety show. I get to tell some jokes, he gets to sing and it's really clever how the director merged all of us, the talent together. And it's comforting having someone on the stage, but it also makes me feel like I'm learning something new, so that part is great.

full look MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION
jewelry 8OTHER REASONS

Combining music and comedy is such a unique concept. How did the collaboration with Cedric come about?

Cedric and I have been friends for years. Our kids dated when they were 15, almost 16, and so we would drop them off at each other's houses, and we would wait in the car for three hours. We would talk and his wife would come, and we would giggle and we became friends through our kids dating.

You’re also back in the studio working on your 10th solo album. What can fans expect from this new era of Toni Braxton?

That's what we're trying to figure out. We're deciding on what kind of kind of music we want to do. We are debating should we change it up, kind of like what Rod Stewart did, and what should we change it to. Just the genre of music, not the style of the performance or the singer. We're in the creative flow of it now.

Your upcoming song with LL Cool J is highly anticipated. What was it like finally collaborating with him?

I've been a huge fan of his for a long time. So we finally got a chance to work together and he was great. We were never in the studio, not one time. I did my part, he did his part, which was actually a sample from something he did previous, and it just came together. Now we're trying to do remixes on it. Should we give it a Nigerian beat, should we do something with Burna Boy with it again? So we're debating on what we're going to do with it.

dress NORMA KAMALI
earrings 8OTHER REASONS

skirt STEPHAN ROLLAND

How has your approach to making music evolved since your debut album in 1993?

I think I've changed, but at the same time remain the same. I think when people hear my tone, hear my voice, they know it's me, so that's helped me a lot. I've been very fortunate to be able to evolve with the time and music. It's nothing wrong with the nineties music , which was a particular style, but I think with songs like ‘Yesterday‘ I had to change it to make it current. And that's what's difficult, being yourself, being original to who you are, but still trying to be current. That's the toughest thing because I was so comfortable with the ballads, but then I had to do things like ‘You're Making Me High’ or ‘Man Enough For Me’.

Your production deal with Lifetime is a major milestone. What kinds of stories are you most passionate about bringing to the screen under your production company Braxtoni Productions?

What I love about Lifetime, they do these great stories about women and what they do. And even if they're not particularly based on someone's life, they're real stories that you can identify with or you felt have been close to. That's the magic of Lifetime. But also having a production company at this stage of my career, being able to cross over, that's such a big deal. And to know that someone believes in me like that is amazing. A lot of time women, we get forgotten or they think it's just about women issues. I found that Lifetime does life issues, and just having that platform to do and grow, it's wonderful because they don't really give those type of deals. But they gave it to me, which made me feel wonderful.

full look SAIID KOSBEY
jewelry 8OTHER REASONS

full look ALEXANDER WANG
jewelry 8OTHER REASONS

Do you ever see doing a movie that is highly intertwined with music?

Yes, we're working on something. The project that we're working on is very involved with music. It's not my life, it's someone else's life. Doing biographies and things like that is very important.

Nude Sugar, your skincare line, is thriving. What inspired you to launch a beauty brand, and what sets it apart in the sea of beauty products?

I have lupus and lupus can affect your organs, but it also affects your skin, and that's the biggest organ in our body. I was looking for something to invent for myself. And then once I did it, I said I have to put this out there. It’s a great skincare product. I started small with just like lotions and things for the skin, but I found that people asked me about it all the time. It's a luxurious brand that I'm excited that I had an opportunity to do, and I did it during the pandemic, which was scary. I was so scared to launch it, but it proved to be better than I thought it would be, so I was excited about that.

You’ve achieved so much, but is there a “dream” goal you still want to accomplish?

I need a Tony Award. I've done Broadway, but I've never originated a play. So I want to originate a play. I did ‘Beauty in the Beast’ and that was fantastic. But to originate a play would be wonderful.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent TONI BRAXTON
photography ans set design TYLER PATRICK KENNY
styling WILFORD LENOV at Tunner Media Grou
hair RICKY WING at Chris Aaron Management
makeup MILA THOMAS
production LOUIE DIAZ
videographer MEECH
styling assistant KYLE HAYES
photography and set assistants JAY SIVAYAVIROJNA, KRYSTAL NAVARRO and JOSEEE
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
special thanks to EVAN DUNING at The Dream Factory