Braxton is the oldest of a total of six children. She attended school at Richard Henry Lee Elementary School, Corkran Middle School and Glen Burnie High School. Her father was a clergyman and his children grew up in a very strictly religious household. Braxton's first gig was singing along in a church choir. She enjoyed an education at Bowie State University to become a teacher but found that she wanted a career in music.
Braxton has been successful in the music business in several ways. First, she was in the soul group The Braxtons along with her four sisters. After this, she started a successful solo career and sold about 48 million records worldwide. Her most famous hit is Unbreak My Heart. She also scored high with singles such as Breathe Again, You're Makin' Me High, I Don't Want To and He Wasn't Man Enough. Although Braxton was initially very popular in the 1990s, the singer has not experienced great success since the release of More Than A Woman, her fourth album from 2002 which became a flop. Due to moderate success, Braxton also changed record companies several times. With Il Divo, the singer scored one last European hit in 2006 with the song The Time Of Our Lives.
Besides singing, Braxton has always been involved in acting. In 1998 she played the role of Belle in the Broadway Disney musical Beauty and The Beast and in 2003 she played the role of Aida in the musical of the same name. She also contributed to the seventh season of Dancing With The Stars in the US.