Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 364 – April 25, 2018

BY EILEEN SHAPIRO
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
Toni Braxton,
the seven-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum royal of music,
film, Broadway and television, recently unveiled her ninth studio album
via Def Jam Recordings, titled “Sex and Cigarettes.” It is a passionately
salacious, heartfelt and compelling collection of songs paying tribute
to lost love, infidelity and how the heart feels once you admit that
it’s happening. The album is a powerful reveal of orgasmic, human
emotion, audacious lyrical ambivalence, sonic grandeur and vibrant
vocal splendor.
Braxton is commemorating 25 years in the music industry since the
release of her self-titled debut album in 1993 and her introduction to
the to the world by Babyface and L.A. Reid. The album sold 10 million
copies and earned her a Grammy for Best New Artist.
The release of her second album, “Secrets,” caused history to repeat
itself, this time selling 15 million copies. This time, at the Grammys,
Braxton became the second woman in history to receive Best Female
Pop Vocal (“Unbreak My Heart”) and best R&B Vocal in the same year.
Dionne Warwick was the only other woman.
Toni received her seventh Grammy in 2015 when she and
Babyface won Best R&B album.
Aside from her Grammy Awards, the Maryland-born artist is a singer,
songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress and TV personality. Raised
as the eldest of six siblings by her dad, who was a Methodist clergyman,
and her mom, a former opera singer as well as a pastor, her first singing
experience was naturally in church. During her award-winning music
career, Braxton began her Broadway endeavor as a cast member in
“Beauty and the Beast,” becoming the first African American woman to
play a leading role in a Disney Broadway production. She also starred
in several Lifetime TV movies, including “Toni Braxton: Unbreak My
Heart,” based on her best-selling memoir titled the same. Currently she
stars in the WE TV series “Braxton Family Values,” which is in its sixth
season.
Apart from her professional life, Braxton is a mom raising two sons,
Denim and Diezel. She also involves herself in charity work with the
Lupus Foundation, a disease she is afflicted by, and Autism, which her
younger son has. She is a spokeswoman for both.
I spoke with Braxton and found her to be exceptional, warm, unaffected
and a lot of fun. She was quite candid, extremely articulate and brilliant
in every possible way. Her new release, “Sex and Cigarettes,” is already
creating a global buzz, and she is expected to go on tour shortly.

PHOTO BY RANDEE ST NICHOLAS
INTERVIEW
I am so in love with
“Sex and Cigarettes.”
It’s so emotional. I
feel like this is the
most emotional
record I’ve ever
encountered. I feel
the pain. What
inspired the entire
album, which seems
to have the same
passionate message
throughout?
You know, I was
going through a little
something when I was
recording the album.
I started recording
about 2016. Usually it
doesn’t take long to
record the songs, but
it took me a second
just to find my way
to the title “Sex and
Cigarettes.” I was in a
relationship before my
relationship now. I was
kind of sad. The songs,
as you can tell, came
from that. I was feeling
great about myself,
but I had a couple of
relationships—my ex
marriage I think I was
still going through—
but I just decided to
write it down. I took
the advice from my
dearest best friend
Babyface, who said
that I had to start
telling my story, what
happened to me in my
life. So it works.
I don’t know if that
was a healing process
for you...
Absolutely...
I almost took it as
a warning for other
women.
Right!

I felt that it had to be
something personal to be
that believable.
Oh yeah, absolutely. It was
very, very personal.
So you’re a seventime
Grammy winner,
actress, mom, producer,
author, Broadway star,
TV personality. Is there
anything that you still wish
to accomplish?
You know what I really want
to do? I want to perform
for the Academy
Awards. I just want
to perform with
that big orchestra.
That’s what I
want. Whatever
celebration I
would have to
perform at to get
that 200-people
orchestra, oh yeah...
that’s what I want to
do. As a singer and
a performer, to have
that kind of sound
behind you, live...
it’s not a hybrid, it’s
real instruments
performing with me.
I would love to do
that, whether it’s
the Philharmonic
Orchestra or
anything like that.
I always loved
the sound of woodwinds
and strings together. My
voice is kind of thick like a
milkshake, and instruments
like that tend to cut it. You
can hear something in my
voice that you can’t really
hear sometimes with the
instruments that are more
of a hybrid, meaning like
things that are done on the
computer. You would get
a sound of a string on the
computer, you get a sound
of a drum on the computer.
With a hybrid instrument,
you get a sound, but not
the sound of an orchestra,
or even a jazz orchestra. It
would be great.
Have you seen a change in
the music industry as far
as things like playing live,
and playing synthetic, or
playing real instruments?
No. I came on when a lot
of things were synthetic.
By the time I came around
they really didn’t use
live drums in the studio.
Everything was done on
TONI BRAXTON WITH PUBLISHER MIKE TODD
DURING HER HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL LAS VEGAS RUN
the computer. I didn’t really
have the generation when
things were organic. The
piano is always organic.
L.A. Reid is a drummer,
who would still put drums
on there, but I didn’t really
have the instruments in
the studio when I was
singing. I never really had
that, with the exception
of some of those things I
said to you. I hear it now,
and I appreciate it. I watch
old footage of people like
Quincy Jones. I watch old
footage of him playing live,
actually conducting a band.
Oh my God, to have that
nearby. I can imagine how
that influenced performers
to sing differently and try
different things. That’s what
I wish that I could have had,
but my generation didn’t
lend itself to that. I was
fortunate to have someone
come and add strings to
a song, and to be in the
studio and see it being
done, but I never got the
opportunity to perform
live with an
orchestra, ever.
I mean, you
have a band
when you’re
on stage, but
there’s no way
you can have
40-something
tracks
performing while
you perform.
It’s layered. So I
would just love
to do that.
I think that you
should.
Barbra Streisand,
you go to her
shows, and
you kind of get
that. OMG,
there’s like
80-something
pieces on the stage. That’s
so incredible.
Will you be touring in
support of “Sex and
Cigarettes”?
Yes, I am definitely going to
be touring. We’re working
on that now. Do you know,
for me having lupus, I’m
doing really well, but I
have to pace myself. It’s
really important that I don’t
overexert myself and add
too many shows in one
week. They were trying to
do four shows a week;

my doctor said, maybe
sporadically. The
recuperation from four
shows a week would be a
lot. We’re trying to get it
down to pretty much three
shows. I’m well, but I have
to make sure I keep my
health first. I’ve got my kids
to live for. But I love touring.
That’s my favorite thing, the
performance live, with me
and the audience, and we
can connect and get to talk
and get to know each other.
I’ve never seen you
perform live, but
I understand that
your concerts are
overwhelmingly amazing.
Thank you for that.
Is there a moment that
you can recall that
changed the entire
trajectory of your life?
This is gonna sound
weird. When I found out
I had lupus it made me
appreciate my gift more,
because I wanted to retire.
I was going through a little
something. A friend of mine
said, “You can’t retire.”
Then I fell in love with me
again. I was angry about it.
I’m not sure why, because
maybe I couldn’t use the
gift anymore. Doctors told
me I would never be able
to perform again, but I fell
in love. We courted each
other, we went on dates, we
sent each other flowers—
me and my talent—and I
fell in love with music again.
Now I appreciate it. I know
how to take the time to
relish and do it. Success,
when it comes so fast, you
never pay attention to it.
You’re grateful, but you
don’t enjoy the moment. So
I’ve learned now to enjoy it,
breathe it, do it, swallow it.
I never knew to do that in
my career. When the older
folks would say that, I didn’t
know what that meant. I was
39 years old, and I found
out I had lupus. I’m very,
very fortunate that I could
learn to enjoy it. I’m trying
to find a silver lining in
everything, so that was my
silver lining.
That had to be a very
scary time for you.
Yeah, but I feel good today.
Do you have an ultimate
stage fantasy? What
would you need to
happen?
OMG, this is going to
sound crazy. My fantasy is to
have Drake come on stage.
I don’t know why we never
performed together. I am a
huge, huge Drakie. Not in a
cougar kind of way...I’m just
a huge, huge fan of his.

You know, him in a suit
and a bowtie and a huge
orchestra, if we could do
something together...I
don’t know what it could
be! I think it would be
my biggest fantasy ever!
I think it would be every
girl’s fantasy, every female
performer’s fantasy.
Can you recall your
proudest moment of
your career?
I’ve been really, really
blessed. I’ve had a couple
of them. My proudest
day was probably when
I had my kids come up
on stage. I’m really, really
corny; I’m very sentimental
in my mid-life. I’m very
sentimental about
everything. Having my
kids on stage was really
great. OMG, Eartha Kitt! I
was performing a benefit
in New York, and Eartha
Kitt came on stage. She
said, “Eat your heart out,
Toni Braxton.” She was
brilliant! She told this
guy, some billionaire in
the audience, that she
needed an accessory for
her right foot, and would
he purchase a Cadillac
for her? I was smitten.
Completely smitten with
her! That was great: It was
old Hollywood, glamour,
a rollback to the ‘50s, and
I got to see her and her
royalty. She was pretty
brilliant. She just came
onstage and allowed
herself to absorb the
whole entire building. It
was magnificent to see a
person come to life with
that star power.
And you didn’t know she
was going to come on
stage?
No, I didn’t know she was
coming on stage. That
was pretty brilliant. It was
great.
If you could tell your fans
and followers something
about you, what would
it be?
I’m super corny. I have
a crazy, funny sense of
humor. I like to laugh a
lot. The glamour girl you
see is only when I’m on
stage. I think that I’m the
original three faces of Eve.
I don’t know what I would
name them, but when I’m
at work, I’m feeling at my
sexiest. When I’m at home
I’m feeling my funniest
and most comfortable. I’m
a t-shirt, jeans, sweatshirt
kind of girl, but at work
another side of me comes
out. I’m wanting to feel
sexy; I want to dress sexy
and show cleavage. I’m
a little older now, and
things don’t stick up as
high as they used to, but
they don’t drop as low as
my colleagues’. So I’m
going to take that silver
lining. I’m pretty much the
three faces of Eve, and
then when I’m with a guy,
I like to be comfortable
with my guy. I like to cook
for a guy, fix his plate, not
because I have to, but
because I want to. I’m
comfortable being Betty
Crocker at home with my
guy. There’s three different
sides of me.
If you could tell Baby
Toni Braxton anything,
knowing what you know
now, what advice would
you give her?
I’d give her a
“Moonstruck” moment:
Snap out of it! What are
you doing? Enjoy it, enjoy
sex more, food more,
being a rock star more.
That is great advice.
Is there anything that
you’d like to say that
we haven’t discussed or
that you want to tell the
world?
You asked me a question
earlier. You asked me if I
noticed any changes in the
music industry. You know,
I don’t think I noticed any
changes in the industry;
I think I just changed
with it. But when I look
back, I’m just so glad that
music is instantaneous,
that you could get it
right now. The only thing
that’s a bit confusing to
me is streams. I don’t
understand how 15,000
streams equal one record.
I don’t get that. I think
that needs to be adjusted.
That doesn’t make sense.
I’m still getting that $1.29
a record; I don’t get why
it takes 15,000 to add up
to one record. I don’t like
that part of it, but maybe
I’m a novice and I don’t
know enough about how
this goes, but I don’t
like that part. ... There’s
no way you can have a
billion streams and make
no money unless you go
on tour. I’m very, very
pro-artist. It doesn’t make
sense. They should have
an organization, like for
athletes when they retire. I
wish there was something
like that for artists. There
should be. I would have
a coalition for something
like that. 15,000 stream
should not equal one
album. I wish the record
companies would have
something like that for
all these artists, for when
the record doesn’t sell
that well or for when they
retire. You never know
what life gives you.

FACEBOOK
/tonibraxton
INSTAGRAM
@tonibraxton
TWITTER
@tonibraxton
tonibraxton.com
PHOTO BY STEVEN GOMILLION

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FRIDAY, APRIL 13
THE VAST MYSTERY OF WHO YOU ARE: PART ONE BY KIM YAGED
The Vast Mystery of Who You Are is an irreverent, hard-hitting exploration of love via sex
parties and philosophical sparring about the nature of relationships.
SATURDAY, APRIL 14
GAY.PORN.MAFIA BY JOE GULLA
Bronx, LA, SoHo to Ibiza! Porn Stars, Gay Priests, Mafia
Dons and Abstract Expressionists! Smart! Fun!
Funny! Fearless! “Gay.Porn.Mafia” has it all!
Grab your ticket! Leave the gun! Take the
cannoli! You’ll feel like “family” and laugh
out loud (emphasis on “out”!) It’s the
same-sex, Italian-style, x-rated
offer you can’t refuse!
NEW YORK LIVE ARTS
THEATRE 80
ST. MARKS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25
BLOOD ORANGE
BY MARCUS SCOTT
Blood Orange explores the fetishization of
black male bodies, hook-up culture, the nature
of interracial gay relationships and sexual
encounters, power play and upward mobility.
MIRRORS
BY AZURE D. OSBORNE-LEE
Mirrors is the story of two women mourning the death
of a loved one while sifting through the secrets of a shared past.
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Cover: Toni Braxton
Photo Credit: Randee St Nicholas
ISSUE 364 - APRIL 25 2018
PUBLISHER
MIKE TODD
MIKE@GETOUTMAG.COM
(646) 761-3325
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AGOTA CORREA
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New Hope Celebrates 15 Years of Community Pride • “The United Colors Of Love”
"Showbiz Spitfire"
Paige Turner
Stephanie Chin
Leonardo Martinez DJ Krk Josh Zuckerman Christine Martucci
Chris Weaver as
"Nedra Belle"
As seen on The Voice Finale
Stephanies Child
Sunday 6 th - Sunday 20 th
Kick-off of the BEST Cocktail Contest
town wide Get OUT and Vote -
Sponsored by Tito’s & Templeton Rye
VOTE - bestcocktailcontest.com
Saturday 12 th
Pride 5k Run - Lambertville
to New Hope Register online
Rainbow Flag Event at Starbucks
on Bridge & Main Streets 11:30am
Special flag tribute music
and daytime fireworks show
Wednesday 16 th
FACT Bingo - At the Eagle Fire Hall 6-9pm
The Love Boat sails to Gilligan’s Island
Bob Egan’s Open Mic
Night on the Piano at The Raven
in the Oak Room
7:00 -10:00pm
Thursday 17 th
Service for Justice at St. Phillips
Special guest speakers, more details online
Pride Trivia Night Hosted by Danny E.
Triumph Brewing Co. Union Square
Friday 18 th
Ferry Market Special Event
Food, Spirits & Live Entertainment
8:00-10:00pm- Special tickets online
TGIF Party - The Raven and The Cub
Room additional details online.
Saturday May 19 th
Annual Pride Parade 11:00am Starts in
Lambertville crossing the bridge to New Hope
Pride Fair Noon-5:00pm on West Ferry St.
at the Logan Inn parking lot. Various Vendors,
Live Entertainment, Fun all day!
Saturday Night Fever NHC’s Annual
Dance Party at The Raven 9:00pm-2:00am
Sunday May 20 th
Special events town wide, discover all we
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Sunday Funday Pool Party NHC presents the
Annual farewell party HOTTER than ever before.
“Showbiz Spitfire” Paige Turner, Food & Fun
at the Raven Pool! Gate opens at 3:00-10:00pm
Ladies 2000 Annual Pride Party
at Havana on Main St. - Doors open 3:00pm
Don’t miss out on all the fun!
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