Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979),[1] better known mononymously as Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Her sound is characterized by heavy voice-layering and riffs.[2] As of 2024, she has sold over 40 million records worldwide, with approximately 8.62 million albums sold in the United States.[3][4] Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award and an American Music Award.
Brandy
- Bran'Nu
- B Rocka
- Singer
- songwriter
- actress
- dancer
- businesswoman
- model
1993–present
1
- Willie Norwood (father)
- Sonja Norwood (mother)
Ray J (brother)
Carson, California, U.S.
Vocals
Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, Norwood beginning her career as a backing vocalist for various teen pop groups. After signing with Atlantic Records in 1993, she released her self-titled debut album the following year at the age of fifteen—which included her debut hit single "I Wanna Be Down"—selling six million copies worldwide. Norwood ventured into acting with the UPN sitcom Moesha (1996–2001), which won her an NAACP Image Award, followed by roles such as the titular character in the television film Cinderella (1997), and Karla Wilson in the slasher film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). Her musical breakthrough came with her 1998 single "The Boy Is Mine" (with Monica), which became one of the best selling female duets of all time and won her the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The song preceded Norwood's second studio album, Never Say Never (1998), which saw further acclaim and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making it Norwood's best selling album to date. Her third and fourth albums, Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), were released to continued success and positive reception, while her fifth album, Human (2008) saw a commercial decline. Her sixth album, Two Eleven (2012) saw an improvement before she independently released her seventh album, B7 (2020).[5] In 2022, Norwood signed with Motown[6] to release her eighth studio album, Christmas with Brandy in November of the following year.[7]
In 2002, Norwood starred in the reality series Brandy: Special Delivery, documenting the birth of her daughter. Norwood served as a judge on the first season of America's Got Talent before being involved in a heavily publicized car accident in 2006. In 2010, she returned to television as a contestant on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars and starred in the reality series Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business. She starred in the series The Game (2012–2015) for BET, and subsequently executive produced and starred in the short-lived sitcom Zoe Ever After also for the company. In April 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago.[8][9][10] In 2021, Norwood starred alongside Naturi Naughton, Eve and Nadine Velazquez in the musical drama series Queens for ABC, which saw critical acclaim.
Early life[edit]
Brandy Rayana Norwood was born on February 11, 1979, in McComb, Mississippi, the daughter of Willie Norwood, a gospel singer and choir director, and Sonja Norwood (née Bates), a district manager for H&R Block.[11] Brandy is the older sister of entertainer Ray J. Rapper Snoop Dogg has claimed that he and Brandy are cousins, though Brandy stated she is unsure if they are actually related.[12][13] She is also reported to be a cousin of wrestler Mercedes Moné.[14][15] Raised in a Christian household, Norwood started singing through her father's work as part of the local church choir, performing her first gospel solo at the age of two.[16] In 1983, her parents relocated to Carson, California, and Norwood was schooled at the Hollywood High Performing Arts Center.[17] Norwood's interest in music and performing increased after becoming a fan of singer Whitney Houston at the age of seven,[18][19] but at school, she experienced trouble with persuading teachers to send her on auditions as she found no support among the staff.[17] Norwood began entering talent shows by the time she was eleven, and, as part of a youth singing group, performed at several public functions.[19]
In 1990, she signed with Teaspoon Productions, headed by Chris Stokes and Earl Harris, who gave her work as a backing vocalist for their R&B boy band Immature and arranged the production of a demo tape.[19][20] In 1993, amid ongoing negotiations with East West Records, Norwood's parents organized a recording contract with the Atlantic Recording Corporation after auditioning for Darryl Williams, the company's director of A&R.[17] To manage her daughter, Norwood's mother resigned from her job,[20] while Norwood herself dropped out of Hollywood High School, and was tutored privately from tenth grade onward.[17]
Career[edit]
1993–1996: Brandy and television stardom[edit]
During the early production stages of her debut album, Norwood was selected for a role in the short-lived ABC sitcom Thea, portraying the daughter of a single mother played by comedian Thea Vidale.[16] Initially broadcast to high ratings, the series' viewership dwindled and ended up running for only one season, but earned her a Young Artists Award nomination for Outstanding Youth Ensemble alongside her co-stars.[21] Norwood recalled that she appreciated the cancellation of the show as she was unenthusiastic about acting at the time, and the taping caused scheduling conflicts with the recording of her album. She stated, "I felt bad for everybody else but me. It was a good thing, because I could do what I had to do, because I wanted to sing."[22][23]
Norwood's self-titled debut album was released in late September 1994 and peaked at number twenty on the U.S. Billboard 200.[1] Critical reaction to Brandy was generally positive, with AllMusic writer Eddie Huffman declaring Brandy "a lower-key Janet Jackson or a more stripped-down Mary J. Blige [...] with good songs and crisp production."[24] Anderson Jones of Entertainment Weekly asserted, "Teen actress Norwood acts her age. A premature effort at best, that seems based on the philosophy 'If Aaliyah can do it, why can't I?'."[25] Brandy went on to sell over six million copies worldwide,[26] and produced three top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby", both of which reached the top of the Hot R&B Singles chart and were both certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[27] "Brokenhearted", a duet with Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men, became a number-two hit on the charts.[1] The album earned Norwood two Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance the following year, and won her four Soul Train Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, and the New York Children's Choice Award.[21] In 1995, she finished a two-month stint as the opening act on Boyz II Men's national tour,[28] and contributed songs to the soundtracks of the films Batman Forever and Waiting to Exhale, with the single "Sittin' Up in My Room" becoming another top-two success.[1] In 1996, Norwood also collaborated with Tamia, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight on the single "Missing You", released from the soundtrack of the F. Gary Gray film Set It Off. The single won her a third Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category.[21]
In 1996, her short-lived engagement on Thea led Norwood to star in her own show, the UPN-produced sitcom Moesha. Appearing alongside William Allen Young and Sheryl Lee Ralph, she played the title role of Moesha Mitchell, a Los Angeles girl coping with a stepmother as well as the pressures and demands of becoming an adult.[29] Originally bought by CBS, the program debuted on UPN in January 1996, and soon became their most-watched show.[30] While the sitcom managed to increase its audience every new season and spawned a spin-off titled The Parkers, the network decided to cancel the show after six seasons on the air, leaving it ending with a cliffhanger for a scrapped seventh season.[31] Norwood was awarded an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress for her performance.[21] In 1997, Brandy, Ray J, and their parents started The Norwood Kids Foundation, which helps disadvantaged, at-risk youths in Los Angeles and Mississippi through the arts and self-help programs.[32]
Artistry[edit]
Voice and style[edit]
Norwood possesses a contralto vocal range.[174][175][176] Her voice has often been described as soft, raspy, and husky by music critics and Norwood herself.[177] Music critic and Slant Magazine writer Andrew Chan describes Norwood's vocal tone as having "an unusual mix of warmth and cold, hard edges". He further describes her vocal quality, saying, "Like little else in pop-music singing, Brandy's subtle manipulation of timbre and texture rewards close listening. [...] Her main claim of technical virtuosity has always been her long, cascading riffs, a skill many R&B die-hards revere her for."[178] Norwood is also noted for her use of multitrack recording to create intricate vocal arrangements and layering. Terry Sawyer of PopMatters writes on this skill, remarking, "While it's been said that Brandy's voice isn't exactly a barn burner, it's not mentioned enough that she does more than enough with what she's got. She never leaves her voice hanging in spotlit scarcity, folding its variegated terracing, whispering out the lead track, shouting in the back-up, and piling each song with enough interlocking sounds to create the tightly packed illusion of vocal massiveness."[179] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Brandy at number 193 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[180]
Norwood's initial sound on her eponymous debut album was "street-oriented" R&B,[181] that incorporated elements of hip hop[181][182] and pop-soul.[182] She sang about love while also highligting other topics such as, "tributes to her little brother ("Best Friend"), God ("Give Me You"), the perfect man ("Baby") and older crooners like Aretha and Whitney ("I Dedicate")".[182] On her second album Never Say Never, she went for a more adult contemporary oriented direction while maintaining "a slight streetwise edge".[37] Her third studio album Full Moon saw Norwood, and her then-creative partner Rodney Jerkins, experiment with blending her previous R&B sounds with futuristic, forward-thinking productions, including influences of 2-step garage and electro-funk.[183][184][185] Along with her style, her voice had gone through an evolution, with her light, girlish voice becoming much deeper, warmer, and smokier than it had been throughout the 1990s.[186] The lyrics also reflected the change, as the album explored more adult, sexual topics and focused on both physical and emotional aspects of an intimate relationship.[184]
In 2004, her recent motherhood, life experiences, and growing affinity for British rock band Coldplay, caused her to shift toward a more experimental vision for her fourth studio album Afrodisiac. The album, a collaboration with producers Timbaland and Kanye West, utilized the distinctive illbient aesthetic, which fuses ambient pop, dub, and breakbeat soundscapes with progressive sampling methods.[187] A four-year hiatus and a few life-changing occurrences caused Norwood to return to the music industry in late 2008 with Human, her fifth studio album, which discussed topics of love, heartache and honesty.[188] Experiencing a career and personal rejuvenation in 2012, Norwood was eager to scale back her previous album's pop style and return to R&B on her sixth studio album Two Eleven. The album was a melding of both Norwood's 1990s R&B sound and the bass-heavy trends of post-2000s contemporary hip-hop.[189]
Influences[edit]
Since the start of her career, Brandy has named Whitney Houston as her most prominent music and entertainment influence. Early in her career, she would often describe Houston as her "idol", crediting her voice, music, and performances as critical to her, both personally and professionally. In a 2014 interview, Brandy stated that, "as a professional musician, I would say that Whitney Houston is the greatest voice of all time."[190] She elaborates, saying "She was always the idea for me. I wanted to be like her, sing like her, and do everything she was doing."[191] Beginning in the late 1990s, Houston would evolve as a personal friend and mentor to Brandy, with Houston nicknaming herself as Norwood's "godmother".[192]
Brandy also names her father, vocal coach Willie Norwood, as instrumental to her discovery and development as a musician. She exclaims that her dad "taught me everything that I know [about singing]". About her dad, Brandy states: "I grew up singing in church with my dad, where he was the musical director and we sang gospel songs in a cappella almost exclusively. He bought me my first 4-track tape recorder. At first, I didn't like my own voice, but he encouraged me to embrace the unique qualities of my voice."[193]
While developing her own style and vocal sound, Brandy would credit gospel-jazz singer Kim Burrell, new age artist Enya, and English singer-songwriter Sade as major influences. In speaking about them, she said, "... it was listening to those women, along with my own creative voice, that helped me to find my niche, my own sound."[194][193]
Brandy has also noted several other musical inspirations, including Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, the Clark Sisters, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Coldplay, Janet Jackson, Timbaland, and her brother Ray J.[193][195][196][197]
Over the course of her acting career, Brandy has noted Lucille Ball, Jenifer Lewis, Gabrielle Union, Niecy Nash, and Kim Fields as being integral to her development as an actress, and the discovery of her strength in comedic roles.[198][199]
Personal life[edit]
Relationships[edit]
Norwood attended Hollywood High School but studied with a private tutor beginning in tenth grade.[17] In 1996, she had a brief relationship with future Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant, whom she accompanied to his prom at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.[254] She also dated Boyz II Men lead singer Wanya Morris, whom she cited as her "first love".[255] Morris, who is over five years older, reportedly ended their relationship a month before her nineteenth birthday.[256] Also during their work on the Never Say Never album, she briefly dated rapper Mase.[257]
During the production of her album Full Moon in mid-2001, Norwood became romantically involved with producer Robert "Big Bert" Smith. The couple kept their relationship secret until February 2002, when Norwood announced that she was expecting her first child. However, a year after the birth of their daughter, Sy'rai Iman Smith, Norwood and Smith separated.[258] In 2004, Smith revealed that the pair had never been legally wed, but that they had pretended to marry to preserve Norwood's public image.[259] Norwood responded that she regarded her relationship with Smith as a "spiritual union and true commitment to each other,"[259] though she later confirmed Smith's statement and justified her actions with the pressure of having to be a role model.[260]
By the following year, Norwood had begun a relationship with NBA guard Quentin Richardson, who was then playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. The couple became engaged in July 2004, but Norwood ended their 14-month engagement in September 2005.[261] It was reported that Norwood had to get a tattoo of Richardson's face on her back transformed into a cat.[262] In 2010, she briefly dated rapper Flo Rida.[263] At the end of 2012, Norwood became engaged to music executive Ryan Press.[264] In April 2014, Norwood called off her engagement with Press following their breakup earlier that year.[265]
Following the release of B7, fans speculated on the meaning behind the album's closing track, "Bye BiPolar". While Norwood does not have bipolar disorder, according to notes that the singer wrote to accompany the album, "Bye BiPolar" is a metaphor for her love life and discussing the way that her mental health struggles have been exacerbated by toxic relationships.[266] Norwood told the New York Post: "I have not been diagnosed as bipolar [...] but I've had moments where trauma has caused me to not be myself, and I felt at a point that I could've experienced moments of that."[267] In an interview with The Grio, Norwood said, "I've dealt with depression in the most severe ... like severe depression. I've dealt with trauma. I've dealt with PTSD. I've gone through a lot and I had to overcome a lot, but I had to overcome everything that I've overcame by doing the work," turning to therapy, prayer, journaling and meditation.[268]
I-405 collision[edit]
On December 30, 2006, while driving on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles,[269] Norwood struck a Toyota driven by 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, who later died from her injuries at the L.A. Providence Holy Cross Medical Center.[269] Law enforcement officials later reported that Norwood was driving her car at 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) and did not notice that vehicles ahead of her had slowed considerably. Her vehicle then collided with the rear of Aboudihaj's, causing the Toyota to strike another vehicle before sliding sideways and impacting the center divider. As the Toyota came to a stop, it was hit by yet another vehicle.[270] However, a source in the California Highway Patrol later reported that Aboudihaj actually struck the car in front of her and then slammed on her brakes before Norwood made contact. The sudden stop caused Norwood to hit Aboudihaj's car.[271] As confirmed, toxicology reports showed that Aboudihaj had "slight traces" of marijuana in her system at the time of the crash.[272]
Norwood was not arrested.[269] Nevertheless, there have been multiple lawsuits filed against Norwood, all of which were ultimately settled out of court by her attorney Ed McPherson. Aboudihaj's parents filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Norwood.[273] Initially set to go to trial in April 2009,[274] the lawsuit was eventually cancelled as Norwood had settled out of court with Aboudihaj's parents.[275] Aboudihaj's husband also filed a lawsuit against Norwood, suing her for an undisclosed amount of financial relief to cover medical and funeral expenses, as well as legal costs and other damages.[276] He rejected his part of a $1.2 million settlement offer in February 2009,[277] but did settle in November of that year.[278] The couple's two children received $300,000 each,[277] while two other drivers who were involved settled with Norwood for undisclosed amounts.[279][280] In May 2009, Norwood stated, "The whole experience did completely change my life, and I can say that I think I'm a better person from it. You know, I still don't understand all of it and why all of it happened, but I definitely have a heart, and my heart goes out to everyone involved. I pray about it every single day, and that's all I can really say on the subject."[281]