Traci Renee Braxton (April 2, 1971 – March 12, 2022) was an American singer,

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

personality, and radio personality.

Early life

Traci Renee Braxton was born in

Severn, Maryland Severn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Severn is 57,118, a 22.6% increase from 44,231 in 2010. The zip code is 21144. Geography Severn is l ...

as the third child of her parents. Her father, Michael Conrad Braxton Sr., was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

clergyman and power company worker, and her mother, Evelyn Jackson, a native of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, was a former opera singer and cosmetologist, as well as a pastor. Braxton's maternal grandfather was also a pastor. Traci Renee Braxton has an older brother, Michael Jr. (born in 1968), and four sisters,

Toni Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name used in several European countries as well as among individuals with ancestry from these countries outside Europe. In Spanish language, Spanish, Italian language, Italian, Croatian language, Croatian an ...

(born in 1967), Towanda (born in 1973),

Trina Katrina Laverne Kearse (née Taylor; born December 3, 1974), is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles " Nann Nigga", " Shut Up", and " Take It to da House". In 2000, ...

(born in 1974) and Tamar (born in 1977). Braxton and her siblings were raised in a strict religious household, and Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir.

Career

1989–1991: Career beginnings with The Braxtons

Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar Braxton signed their first record deal with

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

in 1989. In 1990, they released their first single, " Good Life". It would be their only single as a fivesome. "Good Life" peaked at No. 79 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. At the time of the single's release, the members' age differences created a problem with marketing. Subsequently, The Braxtons were dropped from Arista Records. In 1991, during a showcase with Antonio "L.A." Reid and

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced 26 number-one R&B hits and won 13 Grammy Awards. He was ranked number 20 ...

—who were in the process of forming

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

—Toni Braxton, minus her four sisters, was chosen and signed as the label's first female solo artist. At the time, the remaining members were told that LaFace was not looking for another girl group, since they had just signed

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

1992–1995: Career complications and pregnancy

After Toni's departure from the group in 1991, the remaining Braxtons ultimately became

backup In information technology, a backup, or data backup is a copy of computer data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form, referring to the process of doing so, is "wikt:back ...

singers for Toni's first U.S. tour, music videos, and promotional appearances. The sisters—Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar—made several televised appearances as backing vocalists with Toni, and gave answers during interviews, such as on ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

''. They were also featured in the music video for Toni Braxton's third single, "

Seven Whole Days "Seven Whole Days" is a song performed by American singer Toni Braxton. It serves as the third single from her self-titled debut album (1993). It was released on October 8, 1993 by LaFace and Arista Records. Written and produced by Kenneth Edmo ...

", from her debut album. In 1993, LaFace Records A&R Vice President, Bryant Reid, signed The Braxtons to LaFace. However, the group never released an album or single for the record label. When Reid moved on to work for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, he convinced executives at

LaFace LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

to allow him take the group to Atlantic also.Reynolds, J.R. "'So Many' Braxtons on Atlantic Label Downplays Link To Famous Sister." ''Billboard''. July 6, 1996: 18–19. Print. It was reported in ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' magazine that in 1995, Traci Braxton had left the group to pursue a career as a youth counselor; however, it was not revealed until 2004–when Towanda Braxton appeared on season two of the reality show '' Starting Over''—that Traci was not allowed to sign with

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

because of her pregnancy at the time.

2011–2014: Reality television and ''Crash & Burn''

In 2011, Braxton reunited with her sisters for the WE tv reality show, ''

Braxton Family Values ''Braxton Family Values'' (abbreviated ''BFV'') is an American reality television series that airs on WE tv and premiered on April 12, 2011. It chronicled the lives of the Braxton sisters—Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar and their mot ...

''. She makes appearances as backing vocal singer of her sisters in some shows over the years. In 2013, Braxton and her husband Kevin Surratt joined the third season of

Marriage Boot Camp ''Marriage Boot Camp'' (also known as ''Marriage Boot Camp: Bridezillas'', ''Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars'', ''Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars - Family Edition'' and ''Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition'') is an American reality televisio ...

. In 2013, Braxton began her solo career after signing with independent media conglomerate

Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...

under

eOne Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

an
Soul World Entertainment
to release an album. The same year, she got her own radio show called The Traci Braxton show on the BLIS.F.M. radio.Traci Braxton show on soulbounce.com
/ref>Traci Braxton bio on lushradioonline.com
/ref>Traci Braxton show on alwayssalist.com
Her solo debut album, '' Crash & Burn'', was released on October 7, 2014. The album's lead single "Last Call" peaked at number 16 on the US R&B Adult.Traci Braxton Last Call Single Charts on Billboard.com
/ref> "Crash & Burn" debuted at No. 108 on the

Billboard Hot 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a record ...

with sales of 4,000 in its first week. The album also reached No. 11 on the relaunched ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart and at No. 1 on the

Heatseekers Albums The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...

chart.Traci Braxton charts
/ref> A follow-up single "Perfect Time" was released in 2015.

2015–2022: The Braxtons reunion, films and ''On Earth''

On January 14, 2015, she joined the judging panel of Mrs. DC America 2015. In October 2015, ''

The Braxtons The Braxtons are an American musical quintet consisting of singer Toni Braxton and her younger sisters, Traci Braxton, Towanda Braxton, Trina Braxton, and Tamar Braxton. Despite being commercially unsuccessful, the group's first single, " Go ...

'' released their second album, '' Braxton Family Christmas''. The album was released on October 30, and pre-ordered on October 16. ''Braxton Family Christmas'' debuted at number 27 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, number 10 on the

US R&B The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart, and number 12 on the US Top Holiday Albums on November 21, 2015. The album charted at number 1 on the US

on December 12, 2015. On May 17, 2016, during a Facebook live video on the

page, it was announced that Traci Braxton was releasing a new single in 2016, titled "Body Shots", from her upcoming sophomore studio album. Traci Braxton in 2014

On May 21, 2017, she starred in the stageplay ''There's a Stranger in My House''. On September 26, 2017, Braxton was featured on the rapper Kokayi’s track ''"Moonlight"''. On April 20, 2018, she released the single "Broken Things" featuring her sisters Toni, Towanda and Trina.Traci Braxton release the single Broken Things on thatgrapejuice.net
/ref> On August 3, 2018, Traci Braxton released "Lifeline" as the official lead single from her second album, '' On Earth'', which was released on August 24, 2018. In the same time, she made her movie acting debut in the feature film '' Sinners Wanted''. On June 13, 2019, she acted in the film, ''All In'', starring

Lil Mama Niatia Jessica Kirkland (born October 4, 1989), better known by her stage name Lil Mama, is an American rapper. She experienced top 10 ''Billboard'' placements at 17 with her debut album '' VYP (Voice of the Young People)'' (2008), which debuted ...

. On December 12, 2020, she starred in the film (and her last to be released in her lifetime) ''The Christmas Lottery''. On September 24, 2021, her final collaboration was featured on the song "Stay with Me", performed by Candiace, taken from her album ''Deep Space''.

Illness and death

Braxton died on March 12, 2022, at the age of 50. She had been suffering from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

for at least one year before her death.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Appearances

Film *2018: ''Sinners Wanted'': Nana *2019: ''All In'': Foster Mom *2020: ''The Christmas Lottery'': Announcer Television * ''

'' (as herself, 2011–2020) * ''

'' (as herself, 2014) Radio * ''The Traci Braxton Show'' Theater * ''There's a Stranger in My House'' (2017)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Braxton, Traci 1971 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers Methodists from Maryland American contemporary R&B singers Deaths from esophageal cancer Place of death missing Musicians from Maryland People from Severn, Maryland The Braxtons members