The Braxton family promises a Christmas treat
AS WE wait for Mariah to drop yet another Christmas album, we have another annual present coming from a music outfit. The Braxtons have a Christmas themed version of their hit reality show Braxton Family Values.
They gave us a Christmas special last year and thanks to its success then, we get to get another instalment this week.
The beauty about Toni Braxton and her sisters is that they have managed to “clean up” reality TV. When they first started out we were suspicious of the show because we had seen how the Kardashians had treated the same space. But Toni alongside siblings Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar have tried to make things as “real” as possible.
If you have seen sisters in one room then there are standard things that tend to take place. From rivalry to affection for each other, there is a mixed bag of emotions they express within their dynamic. That’s what reality TV is about.
When they first started, we all knew who Toni was. If you loved R&B in the ‘90s, you will recall that the rest of the sisters dropped an album called So Many Ways, which did not do well. That was it for them. Tamar tried to break away but without much success. It is only now, thanks to the reality show, that she has found her feet to a point where she is more prominent than Toni.
If you rewind to the very beginning, or even look into the Toni Braxton biopic, then you will know that the sisters were a package from day one. After a chance meeting with Babyface and LA Reid, a decision was made to have Toni start a solo career.
They were all heartbroken and yet, in hindsight, if they had declined we wouldn’t even be talking about The Braxtons. Toni unbroke her sisters’ hearts by agreeing to do this show, giving them a platform for stardom and bringing all the various Braxton talents under a single banner once more.
So as we get into the Christmas mood, one of R&B’s favourite families forsake their usual day-to-day hustle to be together. This makes you want to meet up with your family and do the usual Christmas things and create more memories.
If this does not warm your heart, what will?
Braxton Family Values Christmas Special
airs tonight at 7.30pm on Vuzu AMP (DStv Channel 103).