She has won 7 Grammy Awards. The RIAA named Braxton as one of the top selling R&B artists of all time.
She first burst onto the scene in 1992 on the Boomerang soundtrack, after Anita Baker turned down the opportunity. In 1993 Toni released her self-titled debut album, which stayed at the top of the charts for a year and was a critically acclaimed album.
Toni released her sophomore effort, Secrets in 1996 which also did very well on both R&B and Pop charts. From that album Toni got two #1 hits; "You're Making Me High "and "Unbreak My Heart", which spent 14 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard top 100, and was a worldwide hit. After 5 Grammy awards and a little break, Toni Braxton came back strong with her 2000 album The Heat. Though not as successful as her first two albums, The Heat went on to sell 4 million copies and spawned the huge hits "He Wasn't Man Enough"and "Just Be A Man About It".
Toni has released two further albums, 2002's More Than a Woman and 2005's Libra. Toni's sixth studio album Pulse was released in May 2010 via Atlantic Records. The singles "Yesterday" and "Hands Tied" were the biggest hits. Subsequent singles to be released from "Pulse" include "Make My Heart" and "Woman."
In January 2011, the WE Television Network confirmed that it had signed Toni and the rest of the Braxton family for a reality series, Braxton Family Values, which will be marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. The series debuted April 12, 2011, and looks at the relationship between Toni, her mother, and her four sisters; Trina, Tamar, Traci and Towanda — all aspiring singers themselves — along with the interpersonal relationships of each family member. The show also looked at Braxton's heavily publicized separation from estranged husband, singer Keri Lewis. Toni parted ways with her long time manager Vincent Herbert (who was also the husband of sister Tamar Braxton at the time), and signed a new management deal with Los Angeles-based entertainment/production company 'The Collective'.
In 2014, Toni released a collaborative album with Babyface entitled Love, Marriage & Divorce; primarily inspired by their individual divorces (Toni with Keri, and Babyface with Tracey Edmonds). The album was supported by the singles "Hurt You", "Where Did We Go Wrong" and "Roller Coaster"; and won Best R&B Album in the 57th Annual Grammy Awards (2015).
Toni's long-awaited eighth album Sex & Cigarettes was released on Def Jam in March 2018, which was supported by the singles "Deadwood", "Long as I Live" and "FOH". The album also featured a sole guest appearance from singer Colbie Caillat, and was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album in the 61st awards ceremony (2019).
Signing to Island Records in 2020, Toni released her ninth album Spell My Name in August 2020, featuring collaborations with H.E.R. & Missy Elliott. The album was released to positive reception, but was her lowest-charting album yet, peaking at #163 on the Billboard 200.
Fairy Tale
Toni Braxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't stay too long
I need to hear those words you used to tell me
From way back when we were just friends
Before this love affair began
Tell me how I love you wins
Or how a broken heart can mend
Please, tell me now
How the fairy tale begins
Or how it was supposed to end
Please, tell me that part again
Now tell me what's wrong
I never meant to hurt you, no, baby, oh
Was it the home, the car
Or, darling, all those things we thought we needed?
Tell me even if it ain't true
But, baby, please, don't say we're through
Tell me how I love you wins
Or how a broken heart can mend
Just tell me this is not the end
Please, tell me now
How the fairy tale begins
Or how it was supposed to end
Please, tell me that part again
I wanna know that
Feelin' that's from way back
A time when it was true that
Love was sweet and innocent
When you and I could still be friends
Make all the wrong be right again
Where true love never has to end
Tell me how I love you wins
Or how a broken heart can mend
Just tell me this is not the end
Please, tell me now
How the fairy tale begins
Or how it was supposed to end
Please, tell me that part again
The lyrics to "Fairy Tale" by Toni Braxton talks about a broken relationship where one party is pleading with the other to stay and talk about what went wrong before calling it quits. The singer of the song recognizes that he/she may have made a mistake and doesn't deserve the other person's love but still wants to hear the words that were said in the beginning of their relationship when they were just friends. The singer needs to hear if their love can still win and if their fairy tale love story can begin again or if this is the end.
The lyrics show the desperation of someone who knows they have messed up but is still hopeful that things can be fixed. The singer wants the other person to tell them what went wrong, even if it's not true, so they can work through it and stay together. They long to go back to the time when their love was innocent and sweet, and they could still be friends.
Overall, the song portrays the vulnerability and emotional turmoil that comes with heartbreak and the fear of losing someone you love. The singer is willing to do anything to fix their relationship and make things right again, pleading with the other person to not give up on them.
Line by Line Meaning
And if I was wrong, I know I don't deserve this
I understand that I'm at fault, and I don't deserve whatever is happening now.
Don't stay too long
Please don't leave me in this state for too long, I need to talk to you.
I need to hear those words you used to tell me
I want to hear the sweet and romantic things you used to say to me.
From way back when we were just friends
I'm referring to a time when we were still just friends and not romantically involved yet.
Before this love affair began
I'm talking about the time before we became romantically involved in a love affair.
Tell me how I love you wins
Please remind me how love can conquer all and lead to a happily ever after.
Or how a broken heart can mend
Or if our hearts are broken, assure me that they can mend and everything will be okay.
Just tell me this is not the end
Please tell me that our love story is not over yet and that there is still hope for us.
Please, tell me now
I'm begging you to tell me the truth right now.
How the fairy tale begins
Please remind me of how our love story started and how it was magical like a fairy tale.
Or how it was supposed to end
Please tell me how our love story was supposed to end, before everything went wrong.
Please, tell me that part again
I need to hear the story of our love and how it was supposed to play out again, to rekindle my hope.
'Now tell me what's wrong
Please tell me what I did wrong and how I can fix it.
I never meant to hurt you, no, baby, oh
I never intended to cause you any pain, my love, please forgive me.
Was it the home, the car
Were material things such as our house and car the reason for our problems?
Or, darling, all those things we thought we needed?
Or, my love, was it all the things we thought we needed in life, but in reality, they weren't essential?
Tell me even if it ain't true
Please be honest with me, even if it's not what I want to hear.
But, baby, please, don't say we're through
Please don't let our love story end now, my darling.
I wanna know that
I want to be reassured that things will be okay and our love story will continue.
Feelin' that's from way back
That feeling we had from way back when we were just friends.
A time when it was true that
A time when everything was true and real.
Love was sweet and innocent
When our love was pure and innocent.
When you and I could still be friends
When we could still be friends, before our love affair began.
Make all the wrong be right again
I want to fix everything that went wrong and make it right again.
Where true love never has to end
I want to believe in a love that never ends, where we will be together forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KENNETH B EDMONDS, MARC HARRIS, TOMMY L SIMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@teoniaclark3055
I love love love this song. Sad it didn't get the recognition it deserved. I can keep this on repeat (actually I do). Absolutely beautiful.
@ceetee8357
My FAVORITE 2 songs!..'Fairytale' and 'Im Still Breathing': know that these 2 songs says EXACTLY what my heart is (or was) feeling at that time!😲💓👍🏾💯
@usagitsukino9909
Toni should do a whole acoustic album. The Spanish guitar/flamenco complement her voice so well.
@AzzedineAliaFan
omg that was my joint, i loved that back in 2000.
@noso55
such an underrated song, babyface is a genius!
@jorgemallmann6914
Música linda ! Excelente para ouvir muito bem acompanhado !!
@irina1296
The Heat is my personal favorite album by Toni. Fairy Tale was special one
@kenyattabrown6509
Yessssss
@amandamartinez1404
Agree
@jstan3700
I cant see her working with any other producer/writer apart from Babyface.. seriously.. amazing!!... works every time.