Everyone deserves a second chance. R&B vocalist Tamar Braxton definitely received her another shot after being reintroduced to an audience who didn’t know much about her or her 2000 release Tamar.
The new exposure came when her she, along with her mother and four sisters, shared their lives to the world on the now hit reality show Braxton Family Values. Her bright and fun loving personality won the hearts of many viewers who she now calls her Tamartians.
With the right platform in place and the perfect husband-manager to take her career seriously, she began working on Love and War, a music piece that would be known later as her comeback album.
Soon after the album’s title track hit airwaves and grew in airplay on radio, the light at the end of the tunnel didn’t seem so deem for Braxton anymore. She started getting booked more for different ventures with each new season of the reality show.
Now as the new mother gets ready to start another chapter in her new found career, we decided to share our five reasons to love Tamar Braxton.
She waved the white flag for new female R&B artists
A few years ago, R&B music suffered a minor hiccup, in terms of making an impact on the Billboard and radio charts, as years prior. However, once male artists like Miguel and Frank Ocean emerged on the scene, critics, and fans, quickly dubbed the two male crooners saviors of R&B.
This unbalanced equation left an opportunity for Braxton to show the music industry, it isn’t just a man’s world. She filled the void for a female with her comeback ballad “Love & War.” The DJ Camper-produced track debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 selling 84,000 digital copies during its first week of sales. The chart-topping single also peaked at No. 5 on the Hot R&B Songs, No. 13 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and spent an incredible nine weeks atop the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart.
Following her breakout single, her two following singles “The One” and “All The Way Home” charted respectively on the charts. The latter achievements helped her sophomore (or first) album bow at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in its opening week. In addition, her efforts scored her three 2014 Grammy nominations, including Best Urban Contemporary Album.
She’s quick to check anyone who doesn’t come correct
There’s a saying that goes: Don’t come for me unless I send for you. Well, before setting your sights on Tamar and attempting to come for her, be prepared for a nice, nasty read.
Remember her interesting music video for the single “Hot Sugar”? After the clip didn’t get the response she anticipated, the singer took to her Instagram to get the videographers, Gomillion and Leupold together. She referred to the music video as “pure f-ckery” and had to hire another team to “edit a bunch of nonsense.”
Let’s not forget when her former stylist alleged she doesn’t pay her staff. She took her Instagram account once again to post her shady response. “I hate when people try to act GRAND now that they feel like they “made it”…when we met you had one client!!!,” she wrote. “Now you have “contracts” and a “manger” …but you have 5 clients…4 clients cause I’m sleep.” Oops.
She’s one of reality television’s best creations
Every reality show has a star that draws viewers in every episode. Tamar is that chick. Since entering the world of reality in 2011 on Braxton Family Values, she’s been flaunting her camera ready nature for everyone to see.
From her borrowed and remixed phrases from the LGBTQ community to schooling younger siblings on how to get under their older sister’s and brother’s skin with her sometimes bratty personality, she knows how to bring the ratings for We TV.
She’s no longer just, Toni’s youngest sister — she’s Tamar Braxton, Grammy nominated singer
The identity of many young siblings can get lost in the hype of great success of an older brother or sister. For nearly two decades, the utterance of Tamar’s name has always been in the same sentence of her celebrated sister Toni Braxton.
After a decade long hiatus since her self-titled release, she’s stepped outside the shadow of Toni and created her own lane in world of television and music.
Now with chart-topping hits, awards (BET Centric Award and Soul Train’s Best R&B/Soul Female Artist) and Grammy nominations under her belt, critics and fans alike can start using different ways to introduce the reborn superstar.
She capitalized on her success.
After relaunching her solo career with the help of two successful reality shows and her breakthrough return album, Braxton hasn’t gotten restless yet.
Two months after Love & War hit record store shelves, she delivered her first holiday album Winter Loversland. This accomplishment happened all while on John Legend’s Made to Love tour last fall.
Currently, the singer-songwriter is touring with R. Kelly. Literally days later, she will headline her own set of shows.
If you thought she was done, there’s more. Aside from her line of T-shirts inspired by her many phrases from television shows like Tamar and Vince, which returns to television this fall, Braxton is booked for a talk-show. The FOX daytime show, The Real, has been renewed for this fall after a successful test-run last summer.
In the midst of all her aforementioned endeavors and other future projects, she’s in the beginning stages of her next studio album.
We must salute Mrs. Braxton-Herbert for remaining busy boots and not becoming comfortable with her surprising success.