Toni Braxton is an American R&B singer that was born on October 7, 1967 in Severn, Maryland. Toni Braxton’s first performing experience was singing in her church choir. She then attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway Jr. who heard her singing to herself while pumping gas. On July 13, 1993, LaFace Records released Braxton’s self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton. It spent two non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 and has sold over eight million copies in the U.S. alone. In 1996, Braxton released her second and most successful album, Secrets. The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 1997 Grammy Awards and has sold eight million copies in the U.S. In 1998, Toni Braxton filed for Chapter 7 protection from a reported $3.9 million debt. All of her personal household possessions were tagged and marked for sale to pay off her creditors, including her prestigious awards. Despite this personal setback Toni Braxton would go on to release four more albums, starting with the highly success "The Heat" in 2000. "The Heat" opened at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 199,000 units its first week. To date, the album has been certified double platinum and has sold over two million copies in the U.S. and six million copies worldwide.
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