Anita Baker reached unprecedented heights during her numerous years as a successful R&B vicalist in the music industry. Like many others, her rise to fame wasn’t the outcome of an easy journey. She faced many obstacles along the way. In fact, the vocalist has shared details about the family secrets she was plagued with for many years and how she managed to overcome. You won’t believe all Anita’s been through.
The Family Secret About Her Birth Mom Caused Years Of Pain
Many fans probably have no idea Anita Baker’s mother gave her up for adoption when she was just a baby. The daunting realization of her mother’s decision actually made her question her worth and the purpose of her life. During an interview with Essence, she speak out about her life:
“It began with the fact that my mom gave me up when I was a baby,” she said. “Not because she was a bad person or because she was some monster or something. She was just a child and could not care for me. It has taken me a long time to find peace within my own heart.”
JRank reported that the woman Anita once believed was her mom, was a woman by the name of Mary Lewis. Although it was never officially confirmed who Mary actually was, it wasn’t until Anita was 13 years old (when Mary died), that she discover out she was actually a foster child; and Mary was her foster parent.
The publication also said that Anita’s aunt, Lois Landry, was the beautician who Anita reportedly thought was originally her older sister. But after Mary’s passing, Lois reportedly informed Anita that she was her aunt and that she was actually given away by her birth mom, to Mary. Afterwards, Lois and her husband, Walter Landry, officially adopted little Anita and raised her as their own. Anita now refers to Lois as her “earth Mother,” as she explained to Essence:
“That child believed her mother abandoned her,” [Anita Baker] said (referring to herself), “because there was something bad about her. Something terrible that made her unlovable. And until Walter [Baker’s then spouse], that is how I felt about me—that I was not good enough. Not good, period.” “It begin with the fact that my mother gave me up when I was a baby,” she says of the event that made her question her own worth and try to prove herself all her life. “Not because she was a bad person or because she was some monster or something. She was just a child and could not care for me. It has taken me a long time to discover peace within my own heart.”