Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Toni Braxton reveal the process and inspiration behind their duet album “Love, Marriage & Divorce” in an interview with Billboard.
The album, released on February 4, features 11 tracks co-written by the duo. When reflecting on the songwriting process, the two initially had creative differences combining a woman’s and man’s perspectives. However, Braxton’s growth and input as an artist allowed for the album to have balance.
In the early stages of the project, Edmonds sensed Braxton was “not in a good space” and was going through something. She eventually talked to him about her love life and how she was coping with divorce. Edmonds encouraged Braxton to talk about her life and divorce, as a form of therapy, which ultimately became the album’s concept.
Speaking on how the twosome reunited after many years, Edmonds revealed that the project had to come about naturally. “That’s what our goal was when we sat down again,” he said. “Let’s go back into the studio, figure out what to say and do it in a way where it’s fun and feels good. We could have gone after it and nothing could have happened. But it was the opposite. It clicked immediately.”
Braxton alluded that the musical relationship between her and Edmonds echoes the project’s theme, “He’s my husband, really … my musical husband. We broke up and got back together.”
“Love, Marriage & Divorce” is now available in stores and on iTunes. The album includes the hit single “Hurt You” and “Where Did We Go Wrong.”
Read the in-depth interview with Billboard here.
