Toni Braxton Says She Misses Late Sister Traci ‘Every Day’ (Exclusive)

Losing a sister hasn’t been easy for Toni Braxton.

As the Grammy-winning “Un-Break My Heart” singer takes the stage for her Love & Laughter residency with Cedric the Entertainer in Las Vegas, she continues to think about her beloved late sister Traci, who died in March 2022 at age 50.

“She’s always with me. I miss her every day. I can’t even explain to you how I miss her,” Toni, 56, tells PEOPLE, adding that WE tv’s upcoming The Braxtons reality series will see the family discuss “dealing with grief and loss — and how I like to say, it’s difficult trying to live with a broken heart.”

“I miss her, but I know she’s with me. I know she’s holding my hand and talking to me and giving me the courage to get up here and have a good time and entertain you guys, ’cause this is what I love doing as a performer,” she continues of Traci.

The Braxtons, starring Toni alongside her sisters Towanda, Trina and Tamar as well as their mom, Dr. Evelyn Braxton, was announced by the network in February — more than three years after their docuseries Braxton Family Values came to end following seven seasons.

According to Toni, production is “going well” so far. “We just started, so we’re just in the fundamental stages,” she says. “We miss Traci, we can’t deny that, but it’s fun, us sisters getting together and reminiscing, but it’s going to be a different show [than BFV].”

“It’s going to be the Braxton fun, the Braxton sisters — you’ll always have that, but it’s going to be shot a little different, a little current for 2024, 2025,” adds the vocalist.

Upon the announcement of The Braxtons, some fans were surprised to learn the sisters were returning to reality TV after Tamar, 47, spoke publicly about the industry’s impact on her mental health. In a 2021 PEOPLE cover story, she opened up about facing depression and surviving a suicide attempt following traumatic experiences in front of the camera.

“I was just proud of her for talking about mental illness because it’s real, like lupus is real, cancer is real. We kind of dismiss the mental illness thing, but I was very, very grateful that she was comfortable enough talking about it,” reflects Toni. “And we’re going to talk about that a little bit in this season.”

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Love & Laughter launched with its first of seven performances on April 27 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and continues through July. The “He Wasn’t Man Enough” singer previously told PEOPLE the residency will combine her singing talents and Cedric’s comedic skills as somewhat of a throwback to live variety programs.

“They’re going to see a show like Sonny and Cher or Donny and Marie,” teased Toni.