Toni Braxton will perform at the Taj in Atlantic City this weekend.
Credit: Getty Images
Toni Braxton is about to “Unbreak” her singing career.
Braxton, the six-time Grammy Award winner whose hits include “Unbreak My Heart,” is touring for the first time in five years. It’s a big step for her.
“This is my test tour to get my body ready, to get my confidence up,” Braxton said during a recent conference call with reporters. “I want to see how far I can push my body, doing three, four, five shows a week — can I do it?”
Braxton, 45, has 13 performances lined up, including one in Atlantic City this weekend. She had previously announced her retirement from music as she was battling the effects of lupus. But a push from producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, who worked with Braxton early in her career, has the singer back in the game.
The two are collaborating on a new album of duets, “Love, Marriage and Divorce,” due out in December. A new single from the duo, the stark and funky “Hurt You,” was released earlier this week.
“I had my illness I was dealing with, I think I was a little depressed with everything — not being able to control my life like I once did and accepting that I’m older,” Braxton said. “I’m in my 40s and the industry has changed — do people still like me?”
“This is when you have to plant the seed again start over,” she added. “It’s going to be challenging but you have to do it.”
Braxton broke through in 1996 with the album “Secrets,” which framed her sultry R&B pop sound and sold more than 13 million copies. She made headlines again in 1998 and 2010, after declaring bankruptcy, and recently lost a bid to reclaim the rights to several of her songs, lost in bankruptcy proceedings, including “You’re Making Me High,” “How Many Wars” and “Always.”
She claimed debts of $50 million in the 2010 filing, according to reports.
On the small screen, Braxton and her sisters and mom have become stars of reality TV. “Braxton Family Values” is a hit on the WE channel and even generated a spinoff, “Tamar & Vince,” also on WE.
Now, it’s back to the music.
“I’m going to have fun this time,” said Braxton, who suffered a wardrobe malfunction last week in New Brunswick that resulted in the exposure of her derriere. “This time, I’m really going to do it. I’m not going to tiptoe around it, I’m really going to do it. I’m a little cautious just because when you have lupus, you have to be a little cautious, but I’m not going to think about that. I’m going to be like an 18-year old and have fun, get my body ready, get my mind ready and really engage myself with my fans.”
Toni Braxton
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Trump Taj Mahal
1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City
$19 to $68
www.livenation.com
