Toni Braxton photographed by Nick Vaccaro for YSB Magazine (September 1996).
In June 1996, Braxton released her second album ‘Secrets’. Motivated “to include a little bit of everything,” Braxton reteamed with Babyface, but also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album, which she co-produced. A major success, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and reached the top ten on most international charts. After 92 weeks in the charts, ‘Secrets’ was certified 8× platinum, becoming Braxton’s second straight 8 million-seller. Internationally, Secrets sold more than 15 million copies, further cementing Braxton’s superstar status. The album’s first single, “You’re Makin’ Me High”, marked Braxton’s first number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, while follow-up “Un-Break My Heart”, a ballad written and composed by Diane Warren, became the biggest hit of Braxton’s career yet. It spent eleven consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and enjoyed worldwide top five success. As a result, Braxton topped several of Billboard’s year-end charts, and won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Un-Break My Heart” and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “You’re Makin’ Me High” as well as two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album. Still waiting on her financial rewards, Braxton eventually launched an unsuccessful lawsuit against Arista and LaFace Records. Soon after, she filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Public reaction to these events were very harsh, having been expressed most clearly in an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
