Among thousands of music lovers expected to descend on Montego Bay, Jamaica for this year’s Reggae Sumfest, slated from July 13–19, is Suzette Williams, a Jamaican-born, Bronx-based entrepreneur, who credits R&B icon Toni Braxton with inspiring her life and career path.
“In the 1990s, Toni Braxton ruled the airwaves in Jamaica,” Williams told Caribbean Life on Tuesday. “I was in high school then, and she was everything. I had a cosmetology teacher, Ann Marie Goss-Baker, who wore the same short hairstyle Toni had. I also cut my hair just like hers — it was iconic.”
Williams’s admiration has gone beyond being a fan – it shaped her future.
“Because of Toni, I stuck with cosmetology, and, today, I run my own business,” she said. “If you check my Instagram, you’ll see my high school photo — Toni’s hairstyle and all. She inspired so many girls like myself.”
Williams, who operates Bronxwood Natural Hair Care, formerly House of Natural, in the Bronx, said that while she’s yet to attended Reggae Sumfest, “this year, I’m stopping everything to be there.
“I would love to meet Toni Braxton in person and tell her how she inspired me,” she said.
But Williams is not going to Reggae Sumfest alone; she is making arrangement for 10 of her friends to travel with her what promises to be a “night we’ll never forget.”
“Sumfest here we come!” Williams said. “After Sumfest, we’re planning to tour the island. But the highlight will be seeing Toni Braxton live. I owe her that moment.”
But she said her love for Braxton’s music is not just personal — it’s part of her professional space.
“Most days in my store, Toni’s songs are played. Clients ask why, and I proudly tell them, ‘That’s the artist who inspired me to become who I am today,’” Williams said.
Asked which is her all-time favorite Toni Braxton song, Williams said: “In high school, I had a boyfriend who lived far away. When we didn’t see each other, ‘Seven Whole Days’ was my anthem. That song was my life.”
Renowned for hits like Un-Break My Heart, Breathe Again, and He Wasn’t Man Enough, Braxton’s set promises to deliver a heartfelt and nostalgic vibe.
“Toni Braxton’s appearance underscores Sumfest’s global pull,” said Joe Bogdanovich, CEO of Reggae Sumfest, who was in New York last week to attend the Jamaica Tourist Board’s (JTB) 70th anniversary party at the Hardrock Cafe Time Square in Manhattan.
Sharing the stage with Braxton at Sumfest 2025 will be Tarrus Riley, Protoje, Fantan Mojah, Lila Ike, Bugle, I-Wayne and Pressure, “ensuring a night of powerful lyrics, soul-stirring performances, and deep-rooted Jamaican culture,” Jamaican-born, New York-based entertainment publicist Anthony “ER Guru” Turner, told Caribbean Life.
