Toni Braxton, the six-time Grammy winner and iconic R&B voice, says she has discovered a deeper understanding of love as she gets older. In a recent interview, she reflected on her journey — both personal and professional — with humility, hope and hardened optimism.
A Timeless Belief in Romance
Braxton, now 58, describes herself plainly: “I’m a hopeless romantic. I’m always looking for love. And I found out [now] that I’m older, that romance is never over. It’s ageless.” She told People that she no longer believes love has an expiration date. “We always think it’s such a young person thing,” she said. “And I’ve learned that it’s not, it’s at any age. You can find romance or love or partnership, anything like that.”
Braxton’s confidence in later-life love comes amid the release of her new Lifetime movie, He Wasn’t Man Enough, which is inspired by her hit song. She plays Mel Montgomery, a bestselling author who confronts the fallout from her younger boyfriend’s deception.
In real life, Braxton recently celebrated her one-year wedding anniversary in August 2025 with Bryan “Birdman” Williams, the rapper and record executive better known as Birdman. The couple first met years ago through mutual friends, and she once said she never expected their long friendship to turn into so much more.
Braxton also credits her close-knit family — especially her sisters — for shaping her outlook on love. “I come from a sisterhood, a sistership. I’m one of five, we lost one [Traci Braxton], but still she’s with us. And so that matters,” she said. She added, “Sometimes you get it right, girls, sometimes you don’t, but you gotta keep living.”
Even her new film touches upon the value of sisterhood. In one scene, her onscreen friends dance to Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” during a spa day — a nod to their long history and shared joy. “That was the song that we would’ve been listening to,” Braxton observed.
Braxton said her journey hasn’t been simple. She has faced heartbreak, divorce and health challenges, including her well-documented battle with lupus. Still, she says she has learned from her struggles. “Try to be happy, try to love, love is so important,” Braxton told People.
Her new movie resonates for her personally, she explained, because it emphasizes second chances. As Braxton put it: “Sometimes you’re mad about things today and then tomorrow you’re like, ‘Why did I take it all so seriously?’”