"Un-Break My Heart" was a chart-topping 1996 ballad for which R&B singer?

“Un-Break My Heart” was a chart-topping 1996 ballad for R&B singer Toni Braxton.

The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster for Braxton’s second studio album, Secrets. Released as the album’s second single, it presents a dramatic plea for a former lover to return and undo the emotional damage of a breakup. Its sweeping arrangement and Braxton’s deep, husky delivery made it a defining recording of her career.

In the United States, “Un-Break My Heart” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 11 weeks. It also topped the Dance Club Play and Adult Contemporary charts. The song became a worldwide success, reaching number one in several European countries and earning Braxton a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1997.

The single is sometimes remembered simply as a pop power ballad, but Braxton’s R&B phrasing and LaFace Records background are central to its identity. Monica and Brandy were also prominent 1990s R&B singers, while Mariah Carey crossed pop and R&B, but none recorded this signature hit.