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.
I'm Still Breathing
Toni Braxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you walked out, when you broke my heart?
Did you think I couldn't make it through
Oh, without you?
Did you think you'd stop my world with goodbye?
Oh no
Did you think I'd crumble inside?
Not me; I'm still breathing
And this heart of mine is still beating
I, I'm not feeling any pain
No, baby, not me; I'm still breathing
This old heart of mine is still beating
The tears I cried have dried
You are gone and I survived
I'm still breathing
There were times when it took all my strength
To just get through, yeah, through another day
There were so many nights I thought that I was gonna die
Without you
But the tears I cried somehow made me strong, so strong
Did you think I couldn't go on?
[Chorus]
You tried to cut me down
But look who's still around
Without you
Did you think you'd stop my world with goodbye?
No, baby
Did you think I'd crumble, just crumble inside?
[Chorus]
The tears I cried have dried
You are gone and I survived
I'm still breathing
The tears I cried have dried
You are gone and I survived
I'm still breathing
The lyrics in Toni Braxton's "I'm Still Breathing" encapsulate the resilience of the heartbroken. The opening lines seem to be addressed to a former lover, asking if they really believed that their departure would be the end of her life. Toni Braxton's powerful voice delivers these lines in a way that seems to challenge any doubts about her fortitude. The chorus reinforces this feeling, with Braxton proclaiming that she is, indeed, still breathing and her heart is still beating. She declares that she is not feeling any pain, and this is perhaps because the tears she cried have somehow made her stronger. Braxton's defiance is clear when she mentions how her former lover may have tried to "cut her down", and yet here she is, still around, still breathing.
The lyrics in "I'm Still Breathing" are a testimony to survival after heartbreak. Braxton's singing style complements the words in a way that makes it feel like she has lived through every emotion that the lyrics speak of. Her voice captures the strength and determination of someone who has refused to feel like a victim. Instead, she has chosen to take the tears that she cried and use them as a source of strength. Perhaps the most memorable lines in the song are those in the chorus, where Braxton proudly declares that she is still alive, still surviving, and still breathing.
Overall, "I'm Still Breathing" is a powerful, affirming song that speaks to anyone who has ever felt devastated by the loss of love. It encourages listeners to keep going, to keep breathing, no matter what life throws their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you think my life would end that day
Did you believe that my life would cease to exist on the day you abandoned me and shattered my heart?
That you walked out, when you broke my heart?
Did you think that leaving me after breaking my heart would cripple me beyond repair?
Did you think I couldn't make it through
Did you assume that I wasn't capable of making it through the challenges without your support?
Oh, without you?
Did you think that 'me' and 'survival' did not go hand-in-hand without your presence in my life?
Did you think you'd stop my world with goodbye?
Did you expect the world to stop spinning just because you said goodbye?
Oh no
I refuse to accept this
Did you think I'd crumble inside?
Did you think that I would disintegrate and lose all hope in life?
Not me; I'm still breathing
But the truth is, I'm still alive and well
And this heart of mine is still beating
And my heart is still going strong, despite everything
I, I'm not feeling any pain
I'm not hurting anymore
No, baby, not me; I'm still breathing
No, my dear, I'm still going strong
This old heart of mine is still beating
My heart, which you once claimed to love, is still beating
The tears I cried have dried
The tears I wept have dried up
You are gone and I survived
You are no longer in my life, yet I survived
There were times when it took all my strength
There were instances when I had to push beyond my limits
To just get through, yeah, through another day
Just to make it through the day
There were so many nights I thought that I was gonna die
There were countless nights when I felt that I wouldn't make it to the morning
Without you
Without your love and support
But the tears I cried somehow made me strong, so strong
But somehow, the tears I shed gave me strength, unimaginable strength
Did you think I couldn't go on?
Did you believe that I couldn't continue without you in my life?
You tried to cut me down
You tried to bring me down
But look who's still around
But look at me, I'm still here
The tears I cried have dried
The tears that once flowed have now ceased
You are gone and I survived
You're no longer a part of my life, but I survived
I'm still breathing
I'm alive and well
The tears I cried have dried
The tears I cried have dried up
You are gone and I survived
You left, but I'm still here
I'm still breathing
I'm alive, and I'm still breathing
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Realsongs
Written by: DIANE EVE WARREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind