Toni Braxton does work — serious work. After a long career in the 1990’s with hits like “Unbreak My Heart” and “Making Me High,” she had kids, won six Grammys, sold over 40 million albums worldwide, suffered from a heart attack in 2008 and then went on to participate in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
And if not astounding enough, this mother of two is releasing her new album with Atlantic Records entitled Pulse, due May 4th. But Braxton doesn’t consider this a comeback, just a next move.
“[My career] all happened so fast for me the first time around, so I never really got to enjoy it, whereas now I’m really taking my time and smelling it and living it fully,” the 42-year-old Braxton told DigitalSpy.com.
But the move hasn’t been a smooth one. In November of 2009, she announced that her and her husband of eight years were separating. When asked by talk show host, Wendy Williams, she seemed positive about the split all among rumors of a hot romance with Trey Songz after an intense kiss at the Soul Train Awards. Braxton has since refuted any extra marital relationship and said her and her husband, Keri Lewis would , “remain close friends.”
But just last week there was new chatter about her video for “Hands Tied” — stripper pole and all.
Regardless of all her personal rigmarole, the sound of Pulse may surprise classic Toni fans. She has slow songs, but adds an equal share of clubby tracks to the mix. Songs were produced from hit makers like David Foster and Steve Mac. And although there are few collabos, she’s interested in working with other young artists.
“I and Alicia Keys are talking about it [a duet],” says Braxton. “Maybe we could do something at an award show and people will see us collaborate that way. We’ll see.”
