Toni Braxton on Braxton Family Values: "People Only Know What They Read — I've Never Told My Story"

Toni Braxton said it plainly: "People only know what they read and I've never told my story. I don't have to remember what I lied about — I'm just bein…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

Grammy Award-winning artist and performer Toni Braxton took to WE tv to air her life story and clear up rumors about her health and financial status in Braxton Family Values. The new WE tv series premiered April 12 at 9pm ET/PT.

What do you get when you mix a quintet of opinionated women with celebrity, money, and a television camera? WE tv's 10-episode original series Braxton Family Values. Like their famous sister Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar were all blessed with the gift of song and shared that gift as a group called "The Braxtons," managed by their mom Evelyn. Fast forward a few years: Toni Braxton is a mega-star with hit after hit; Traci has an unexpected pregnancy; Towanda decides to pursue acting; Trina becomes backup for Toni and a "wedding singer;" and Tamar strikes out on her own to chase her rising star. Mom Evelyn also experienced change when she divorced the girls' father for his chronic philandering.

In a recent conversation with Daedrian McNaughton of Premier Guide Media, Toni Braxton dished about the new series.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Toni, you've battled a lot financially and health-wise. What were some of the things you were able to do for your comeback?

TONI BRAXTON: Oh, comeback — is that what? I never looked at it that way. Maybe I can look at it that way. Everyone talks about me, about my financial woes and this and that, but I've never told my story. So since my sister said I should tell my story — my health issues and my financial woes put me in the situation I'm in. But for me the most important thing is to try to get healthy. When you have something like Lupus, I have so many good days and bad days. Even when we were shooting there were moments when I couldn't shoot the whole day because I was so tired and fatigued. So for me it's just getting through one day at a time. But I'm so happy to be here and have fun with my sisters. Any way I can entertain — singing of course is my favorite — that part brings me the most joy. My marriage I don't talk about ever on the show, that's not even an option, because I have kids, a special needs son, and I don't want them to know what's going on with mom and dad's life unless they hear it personally from mom and dad. Of all my sisters, I'm still the one that's aloof. But for me it was more of a platform for telling my story — and in addition to that, hanging out and having fun with my sisters. You will see a different side of me. You will hardly ever see me as Toni Braxton the singer. That's not something I portray in the show at all.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What happened to The Braxtons? Are you guys still doing anything together, developing anything?

TONI BRAXTON: We're still here. They've definitely been talking about a reunion so we'll see what happens. In the 10th episode you'll find out. We made a Braxton album in the 1990s and I think we'll probably end up doing at least a single.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Toni, everything is out there in the papers. How do you feel when you read the bad press about yourself?

TONI BRAXTON: That's why my sister said I should do the show — so I could tell my story. Everyone only knows, oh, Toni Braxton, financial problems. I don't do drugs, I don't do this — the only thing that always follows me are financial woes. What I do in this show is I tell it, and I tell it as honestly as I can so I don't have to remember what I lied about. I'm just being as candid as I can be. And I hope after people see and hear what happened they'll go, wow, I didn't know that. I think sometimes when you're in the entertainment business people tend to think that you don't have feelings and things just bounce off of you and you don't cry. And I think they will see that I'm a woman and a mom and a human. I love blogs and I love reading about it but sometimes people can be mean and cruel. And just being a celebrity and everyone knowing about my financial woes and my health issues — but they don't really know the whole story. Sometimes, honestly, it does hurt my feelings. I read things and I go, that's so not true. Something with the bankruptcy they said I owed BMW — I don't even own a BMW. I have kids and I would never want my kids to look on the Internet and read things and wonder, was my mom like that and I didn't know? I want them to see me as how I am inside.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Why now to do a reality series on you and the family, and are you worried about how you will be portrayed?

TONI BRAXTON: A little bit, I have to be honest, yes. But then I said, you know what, I'm just going to let people see the side of me they haven't seen. I want them to see me as a sister and a mom. I wasn't trying to be a diva or keep it up on the glam side — I can always do that on stage. My sister Tamar talked me into it because at first I said no, I'm not doing the show. I don't want people in my space. And my sister said, that's it — don't let them assume anymore, tell it. So when they hear it there's no more assumption. I finally said yes in 2008, and even then it was a week before we started shooting when I called and said I'm not going to do it, I changed my mind. Because I was so uncomfortable with people being in my space. I have a special needs son — I didn't want him to be in episodes like that. I was also uncomfortable with my health issue and the financial issues because it always comes up. But my sisters told me it's time for you to tell your story. Stop letting other people read about it what's not true. However, they were not allowed into bathrooms — I said that's it. I have to be able to tinkle and pee and brush my teeth and wash my boobies in peace. I am definitely hoping that the show will allow me to have a platform to tell my story. Because people only know what they read and I've never been on Oprah to tell my story.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Are you a fan of Lady Gaga?

TONI BRAXTON: Gaga is signed to Tamar's husband's record label. He actually discovered her — I hate to say discovered like she wasn't there. But she's like family, she's like another little Braxton sister. Tamar and her, she sings stuff with her all the time. Like the single that's out, Born That Way.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: How do you balance the rigorous schedule of being an entertainer, mother, and philanthropist?

TONI BRAXTON: Well, I'm still trying to balance it. Some days I have good days, some days I have bad days. For me it's just about my health — sometimes it can get very challenging for me to do a lot of different things. I just try to work really hard to make sure I stay really healthy because my goal is to be around for my sons and be at their graduations and be at their weddings. Because an illness like Lupus can really be debilitating sometimes. So for me my balance is trying to find no balance but to try to keep myself healthy.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is your perspective on today's music and the rise of female vocalists? Do you see any recording vocalists that have that it factor?

TONI BRAXTON: Yes. My favorite of all of them is Rihanna — she's my favorite of all the babies. I love her, I love Gaga. When you're in the music business and you're a singer, I consider myself a songstress. I love music. It doesn't matter who it's from — I could never get tired of it, never get old from it. I love that music changes and it evolves. You can learn a lot from the younger artists. I listen to country, I listen to classical, opera, I love rap, I listen to everything. I just love music. I love that it's also heading towards dance music, which is one of my favorite music decades — the 70s. If I hadn't filed my bankruptcy with my record company we were talking about doing a duet with Rascal Flatts. So that would have been super hot. But you never know — it ain't over till the fat lady sings and I'm only ten pounds overweight. I'm only 5'1¾" so I'm about ten pounds. I'm working out though.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What was your favorite album?

TONI BRAXTON: Pulse — because when I got ill the doctors told me I would never be able to promote or do an album or be on stage and sing. They said you can maybe do a song or two here and there but with your type of Lupus we never know how it's going to make your body react. I thought I would never be able to perform again. So that's why I called it Pulse — because I felt like I was getting my life back. I got one little beat, one little pulse. Let me know I could do this, it was going to be a tough road. That's one of my favorite albums. It's not my all-time favorite — it's like my third favorite.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is it like working together with your sisters?

TONI BRAXTON: It can be challenging because you have differences of opinions and sometimes it can get a little heated when everyone's not agreeing with you. But that's all in the family and I do love the security of having my sisters with me always. What happens is I get caught in the middle — that's the only thing. My sister Tamar's pursuing her singing career and her husband is affiliated with Gaga and has a record label and all these great acts. But she'll say, well why didn't you put my record out? And he'll say, Toni, it's not the right time. And so I often have to be a referee and I'm tired of wearing that black and white striped shirt.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What do you hope will come from this show?

TONI BRAXTON: I am hoping that the show will allow people to see another side of me other than the entertainer and let them hear my side of the story instead of all the things they read about me. There's really nothing about me — the only thing people have is money problems, money problems, money problems, financials, financials, and financials. But there's so much more to those stories and I get to tell it my way. The only thing I will care about is my kids and how it affects my kids. I'm not being a diva in this — the only time I'm a diva is when I'm on stage. But I'm wearing t-shirts and sweatpants and no makeup and my hair's not done. I was really trying to let people see how I am on the inside when I'm not on stage. How I am at home, how I live, how I roll with my family. That's all it was about for me — my family and Toni, just Toni.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: How is your relationship with your father?

TONI BRAXTON: It's just challenging for us because our dad was such a focal point for our family when our parents were married and now they're divorced. My dad got remarried and unfortunately when he divorced my mom he kind of divorced us too. As an adult I understand he had to do it that way because he didn't know how to break away. And he's trying to mend it and make it better but it has good days and bad days. But we love our dad dearly and we want people to see that every family goes through changes. And we're just one of many families. And we hope that we can heal ourselves.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Do you have any other plans outside of music?

TONI BRAXTON: They said this is a sitcom — I'm like, oh, maybe it is. I've been thinking about that. I've had a few movie roles. I really want to go back to Broadway. I love that because it enables me to sing and act a little bit. So that's my first thing. Everyone wants me to do things and I'm very fortunate, but I haven't seen anything that I felt I could originate.

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