Grammy-Award winning artist and performer, Toni Braxton is taking to WE Tv to air her life story and to clear up rumors on her health and financial status in the Braxton Family Values. The new WE tv series, Braxton Family Values premieres 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? You get WE tv’s new 10 episode, one-hour original series, BRAXTON FAMILY VALUES, premiering Tuesday, April 12 at 9pm ET/PT. Like their famous sister Toni Braxton, 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, and Toni Braxton is a mega–star with hit song after hit song and too many accolades to count; Traci has an unexpected pregnancy; Towanda decides to pursue acting; Trina becomes back–up 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 love of her life, the girls’ father, for his chronic philandering. With their worlds turned upside–down, and the meteoric rise of Toni’s fame, the family had to dramatically adjust to life after stardom.
In a recent conversation with Daedrian McNaughton of Premier Guide Media, Toni Braxton dished about the new series.
So 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 come back 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 of course and my financial woes they put me in the situation I’m in. But for me the most part is try to get healthy. When you have something like Lupus I have so many good days and bad days and 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 just getting through one day at a time. But I’m so happy to be here and have fun with my sisters. And this is the part of it that I love, the entertaining part. Any way I can entertain, singing of course is my favorite but that part brings me the most joy. Well I love that you just said all those things, just like that in order. It’s because of all those things that like you said you probably read what you read and probably assumed an opinion. People won’t assume anything they’ll just read, hear me say it and go oh I mean they’ll still have their own thoughts about it but when they hear it from me – but 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. So definitely I’m still aloof. Of all my sisters you’ll find I’m still the one that’s still aloof but for me it was more of a platform of telling my story. But in addition to that hanging out and having fun with my sisters and you will see a different side of me. You will hardly ever see me, Toni Braxton as the singer. That’s not something I portray in the show at all. I wasn’t trying to be pretentious not that I am but I wasn’t trying to be an artist at all unless I was on the stage. And you see a distinct difference because we show a few shows during the taping.
What happened to The Braxton’s? Are you guys still doing anything together, developing anything?
Toni Braxton: We’re still here. They’ve been definitely talking about a reunion so we’ll see what happens. In the 10th episode you’ll find out. But then we haven’t made a decision yet so the 10th episode it’s, you’ll see I don’t want to give it away. We made a Braxton album in the 1990’s and, I think we’ll probably end up in the end doing at least a single.
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 they always follows me are financial woes. And what I do in this show is I tell it and I tell it as honest 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 and look at me differently than maybe have a difference of opinion on the things that someone else told them or that they read about me. And they’ll just understand all my decisions and why I’m at the stage that I’m at in my life and in my career. I think that I’m human and 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, you don’t go through things. And I think they will see that I’m a woman and a mom and a human that every, you know, like I love blogs and I love reading about it but sometimes people can be mean and cruel – just anything. 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 and sometimes I have to be honest it does hurt my feelings. And I read things and I go that’s so not true. Something with the bankruptcy they said I owed BMW for example I don’t even own a BMW. So some things I’m like why would I spend all my money going shopping this, there’s just some things like that really hurt my feelings. Because I have kids and I would never want my kids to look on the Internet and read things and be was my mom like that and I didn’t know? I want them to see me as how I am, how I am inside.
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. So it’s important to me that I display another side of me. My sister Tamar talked me into that because at first I said no I’m not doing the show. I don’t want people in my space. I don’t want to have to answer to things that people may assume from watching the show. 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 was definitely uncomfortable I have to be honest. I finally said yes in 2008, it was 2008 that they finally asked me they had everything all hooked up and I said yes. And even though it was a week before we started shooting 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. That’s the only thing people really have on me and I’m fine with that but my sisters told me that it’s time for you to tell your story, tell it. Stop letting other people read about it what’s not true. So for me I’m using it as a platform to finally tell what’s going on in my life with my health which led to my financial woes. However they were not allowed into bathrooms I said that’s it. I have to be able to tinkle I gotta tinkle and pee and brush my teeth and be and wash my boobies in peace. We tried to forget that the cameras were there filming especially some of my other sisters but for me I as always cognizant that they were right in my space. So for me being aloof and being the personality that I am it was a bit hard for me. And my younger sisters they keep telling me you have to be current, 2011, but they’re sitting in the living room with their stars is an old school way of thinking, it’s dated. I’m trying to become more mainstream and my sisters are helping and their generation my youngest sister Tamar is like, 11 years younger than me. She’s like you have to be honest though because you don’t want to have to remember any of your lies. So you have to be honest if we’re going to do this show, we have to be candid. I am definitely hoping that the show will allow me to have a platform to tell my story. Because like I said people only know what they read and I’ve never been on Oprah to tell my story and they don’t know.
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, so she’s like family, she’s like another little Braxton sister and so Tamar and her, she sings stuff with her all the time but she’s been doing things on her album. Like the single that’s out, Born That Way.
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. And for me 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 and 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.
What is your perspective on today’s music and the rise of female vocalists? Do you see any recording vocalists that you’ve observed that have that it factor?
Toni Braxton: Yes. I love all, 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 or it, never get old from it, I love that music changes and it evolves. You can learn a lot from the younger artists. I’ve learned so much from the artists who established this for me and I love music. It doesn’t matter where it’s at. I listen to country, I listen to classical, opera, I listen, I love rap I listen to everything. I just love music will always be a force in my life. So I look at the way music has evolved today and I’m very happy about it because I love that it’s also heading towards dance music which is one of my favorite music decades, the 70’s. 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 sing and I’m only ten pounds overweight so. I’m only 5’, 1-¾” so I’m about ten pounds. I’m working out though.
What was your favorite album?
Toni Braxton: Pulse because when I got ill the doctor’s 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 got my, 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.
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 everyone’s not agreeing with you. But that’s all in the family but I do love the security of having my sisters with me always. It can be challenging for me I cannot deny it. But what happens is I get caught in the middle that’s the only thing. I get caught in the middle because my sister Tamar’s pursuing her singing career and her husband is a major record – affiliated with Gaga and he has a record label and he has all these great acts. But I feel put in the middle because 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.
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 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. So that’s primarily I was using it for. The only thing I will care about is my kids and how it effects 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 sweat pants, and no makeup and my hair’s not done. I was really trying to let people see how I am in 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.
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. And my dad got remarried and now his second family I guess is his wife and my dad unfortunately when he divorced my mom he kind of divorced us too. And I, as an adult I understand he had to do it that way because he had, 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 it’s bad days. I guess you must have caught us on a not so good day. 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.
Do you have any other plans outside 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’ve really want to go back to Broadway. I love that because that enables me to sing and act a little bit. So that’s my first thing. If I, everyone wants me to do things I’m very fortunate but I haven’t seen anything that I felt that I could originate that.