Toni Braxton and Babyface Cover UPTOWN Magazine

R&B icons Toni Braxton and Babyface cover the Dec/Jan 2014 issue of UPTOWN magazine.

Hot off the success of their “Hurt You” single from their duets album Love Marriage & Divorce, Face and Toni open up about how she got her start (Face once told L.A. Reid that she was Babyface meets Anita Baker), why she “retired” from music and whether suicide was ever a thought, how they came to collaborate on a duets album, and what’s next. Here’s a hint, Love Marriage & Divorce isn’t the only collaboration for the duo — there’s also a stint in After Midnight and a national tour in the works.

Encore: Babyface and Toni Braxton Talk Love Marriage & Divorce

Toni Braxton on quitting the music business:
“I was in a small place in my life and I was going to retire. It’s not even a question. I said, ‘I’m tired of fighting.’ I was feeling sorry for myself. I was depressed over where my career was going. I was also down with my health.”

Toni Braxton on her depression and whether suicide was ever a thought:
“[I was] not suicidal, but it was a close relative. I’ve got my kids to live for, but I was in a hopeless stage in my life.”

Babyface on Toni Braxton quitting the music business:
“Toni was kind of just talking about giving up, just not really wanting to record anymore-she was not just having fun at it anymore. I didn’t think that was a very good idea. I talked her into changing her mind … You know, you can get frustrated with the music industry, but I never get frustrated with the music. The music is what drives us to begin with. So I don’t think I ever lost sight of that.”

Babyface on how Love Marriage & Divorce got off to a rough start:
“Working with Toni was a little bit different than working with her years ago, because now, we’re dealing with a grown-up Toni who certainly has her own opinion in how she thinks things should be. So we went through a lot of compromises putting this record together.”

Thank you,

Annika Harris
Digital Associate Editor