R&B legends Toni Braxton and Babyface to tour Southern Africa

For the first time ever in Africa, fans will be treated to a Braxton and Babyface double bill as they each perform their own sets with songs from their outstanding catalogues of classics. Their tour begins in Zimbabwe, at Harare’s Borrowdale Racecourse on Friday 28 August. They then cross the Limpopo to South Africa, where they will perform in Durban at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday 30 August, then in Cape Town at Grandwest on Tuesday 1 September, and ending in Johannesburg at the Ticketpro Dome on Thursday 3 September. 

Known and loved around the world for their chart-topping radio classics, both iconic singer/songwriters shaped the sound of R&B throughout the 90s, both as individual superstars and collaborators. Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds is a certified hit-making machine with enviable longevity, with no less than 130 Top 10 R&B and pop hits, including 43 number one R&B hits and 55 Top 10 Pop hits. He has 11 Grammy Awards to his name, along with numerous others, including Soul Train Music Awards, BMI Awards, NAACP Image Awards and American Music Awards. Besides his solo hits, as a songwriter and producer  he has worked with the likes of Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Eric Clapton, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, TLC, Celine Dion, Brandy, Aretha Franklin and many others.

Toni Braxton meanwhile has sold over 66 million records worldwide. She’s earned a total of seven Grammys, along with nine Billboard Music Awards and seven American Music Awards. In recent years she’s also branched out onto TV (Dancing with the Stars, Braxton Family Values) and stage, starring in Broadway productions of Beauty and the Beast, Aida and After Midnight. 

The two stars have long been a match made in heaven. In 1992 they sang together on the hit ‘Give You My Heart’. In 2014 they reunited for the duets album Love, Marriage and Divorce, which won a Grammy for Best R&B Album. It struck a chord with South African fans, who made it one of the top-selling albums in the country that year. A tour of the two stars has long been in demand in Southern Africa.

The upcoming tour is organized by Canoc Live. The company’s Pleasure Letsoalo explained:  “Each date of this tour guarantees a night of authentic R&B music, filled with romantic love songs in the form of two spectacular shows from these Grammy Award-winning artists. We have hosted 19 shows with eight international artists and we are now thrilled to welcome Toni Braxton and Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds to Southern Africa.”

Tickets are available via Ticketpro and start at R450 each.

• Due to unprecedented demand, the organisers have announced an additional date to the Johannesburg leg. On Friday 4 September, VIP revelers get to encounter the Toni Braxton and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds Suite Experience - an event so uniquely intimate, created for the superfan’s upclose exclusive enjoyment. “This five-city tour has gone far beyond our expectations, having sold out just days after the tickets went on sale,” said Canoc Live’s Pleasure Letsoalo, adding: “The final date at the Johannesburg Ticketpro Dome will be the ultimate way to experience Toni Braxton & Babyface". The Suite Experience offers fans a one-off in which the venue will be transformed into nine luxurious suites on the main floor, mere metres away from the stage.