Brandy (entertainer)

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Brandy
Background information
Birth name	Brandy Rayana Norwood
Born	February 11, 1979 (age 28)
Origin	McComb, Mississippi, United States
Genre(s)	R&B, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, musician, composer, actress
Years active	1993-present
Label(s)	Atlantic (1994–2005) Knockout (2005–present)
Website	Foreverbrandy.com

Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), known professionally as "Brandy", is an American actress and Grammy Award-winning R&B singer. She is best known for her starring roles in the sitcom Moesha and the 1997 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, and for her hit songs such as "Sittin' up in My Room" and "The Boy Is Mine". Brandy has gone on to sell more than 18 million albums and singles in the US alone and 35 million albums and singles worldwide. More recently, she has been cast as being one of three judges on the TV reality show America's Got Talent.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 1994–1997: Early commercial success 1.3 1998–2001: Worldwide popularity 1.4 2002–2003: New image 1.5 2004–2005: Critical highs and personal lows 1.6 2006–present: Career development 1.7 Scientology 1.8 2006 car accident 2 Acting career 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 TV 5 See also 6 Notes 7 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Brandy is the elder of two siblings born to Willie Ray Norwood, a pastor and choir director, and his wife Sonja Bates-Norwood, a former financial analyst, in McComb, Mississippi.^[1] She is the sister of singer and actor William Raymond "Ray J" Norwood Jr, and a cousin of blues singer Bo Diddley, and rapper Snoop Dogg.^[2]

Due to her father's work Brandy started singing at their minister, Curtis W. McCullom's Brookhaven church at an early age of two. By the time she was four, Norwood's parents moved the family from McComb to Carson, California, in hopes of jump-starting careers for their children.^[3] Inspired by singer Whitney Houston, Brandy began performing at many West Coast functions as part of a youth singing group and then, at 11, barely a teenager herself, met manager Chris Stokes who landed her gigs as backup singer for the group called Norment and more successful teen R&B trio Immature.^[4]

In 1993, while shopping around record companies, seeking a record deal, Norwood attended a party held by the Atlantic Recording Corporation. After performing in front of hundreds of people, an executive indicated interest in her persona and eventually offered Brandy a recording contract with Atlantic Records.^[5]

[edit] 1994–1997: Early commercial success

After months of recording, including sessions with producers Daryl Williams, and Keith Crouch, Brandy's self-titled debut album was released on September 27, 1994. While the album debuted at a moderate number 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart only, Brandy soon became a quadruple platinum success thanks to heavy rotation on music channels MTV and BET and the singles "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby" which both entered the top 10 of the official Hot 100 and became number-one hits on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Although the album's success was limited elsewhere, the album produced another two top 10 hits and made Brandy one of the most successful new artists of the year.

Subsequently the album earned Norwood two Grammy Award nominations for "Best New Artist" and "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" (for her single "Baby"), four Soul Train Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, and the New York Children's Choice Award. Brandy continued to soar in 1995, teaming up with Lenny Kravitz for the Batman Forever soundtrack and scoring another hit with her number-two single, "Sittin' up in My Room" from the Waiting To Exhale soundtrack.

In 1996, Brandy teamed up with Tamia, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight, for the single "Missing You," released from the Set It Off soundtrack. Even with the superstar lineup, it was Brandy's least successful single yet, but was still a moderate hit, and peaked at number 25 on the pop chart. The song won Norwood her third Grammy nomination in the "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" category.

[edit] 1998–2001: Worldwide popularity

Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins consulted on the album Never Say Never, which was released on June 9, 1998 and became Brandy's most successful album worldwide. Norwood co-wrote and produced six songs on the album which yielded her first number-one song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with singer Monica. The song rose to one of the most successful records of the year, staying on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for thirteen weeks, and eventually garnered the pair a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". Critics rated Never Say Never highly, with All Music Guide's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praising Brandy and her team for wisely finding "a middle ground between Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige — it's adult contemporary with a slight streetwise edge".^[6] Altogether the album spawned seven airplay and CD singles respectively, including Norwood's second number-one song, Diane Warren written "Have You Ever". ^[7]

For the next three years, Brandy completed the remaining three seasons of her sitcom Moesha and starred in a number of widely successful and critically acclaimed television specials and movies. She also landed a multitude of endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics, which she represented for several years. Brandy was the subject of a major advertisement campaign for DKNY Jeans for three seasons, and modeled Candies shoes in an ad campaign photographed by David LaChapelle.

After a lengthy hiatus that saw the end of her Moesha television series, and a flurry of tabloid headlines discussing her bout with "dehydration", Brandy returned with a 2001 remake of Phil Collins' 1980s hit "Another Day in Paradise", a collaboration with brother Ray J. Released as the lead single from Urban Renewal: A Tribute to Phil Collins, the song became an instant international hit.

[edit] 2002–2003: New image

During the production of her third studio album, Norwood became romantically involved with producer Robert "Big Bert" Smith. The couple quietly "married" in the summer of 2001 but their union did not become known until February 2002 – the same month Norwood revealed that she was expecting her first child. However, shortly after the birth of their daughter Sy'rai Iman Smith on June 16, 2002 – an event tracked by the four-part MTV reality series Special Delivery – Norwood "divorced" Smith. The "marriage" itself was later exposed as not of legal status but instead was used as a ruse to protect Brandy's image. ^[8] Norwood later stated that she regarded her relationship with Smith as a "spiritual union and true commitment to each other".^[9]

Full Moon, Norwood's third studio album, was released in March 2002. It once again comprised a row of R&B/Pop-oriented songs with adult contemporary, many of them co-created with Jerkins, Warryn Campbell and Mike City. While its lead single "What About Us?" became a worldwide top 10 hit, the album's title track failed to chart or sell noticeably outside the United States and the UK, where it managed to enter the Top 20 of the single chart. Media reception was generally lukewarm, with Rolling Stone Magazine saying that, "... this interminable (seventeen-track) product is frantic, faceless, fake-sexy R&B."^[10]

Still, the album was rather quietly and cautiously declared as a flop by the media. Brandy ignored the rumblings and instead settled further into motherhood. She began writing and producing for other artists, such as Kelly Rowland, Kierra "Kiki" Sheard and Toni Braxton, within the coming year.

[edit] 2004–2005: Critical highs and personal lows

By the following year, Norwood had entered a relationship with New York Knicks guard Quentin Richardson. The couple soon got engaged in 2004 but Brandy eventually ended her 15-month engagement with the NBA player in October 2005.^[11]

Returning from yet another musical hiatus, Brandy's fourth album Afrodisiac was released on June 29, 2004, amidst both her weakest promotional blitz ever and the well-publicized termination of her short-lived business relationship with entertainment manager Benny Medina. Norwood ended her relationship with Medina's Los Angeles-based Handprint Entertainment after less than a year of representation. Controversy surrounded Medina's handling of the lead single "Talk About Our Love", and failed talks of a purported co-headlining tour with R&B singer Usher Raymond that was instead handed to Kanye West, another Medina client, as an opening gig.

Despite the negative blitz, Afrodisiac (primarily produced by Timbaland) became Brandy's most critically acclaimed album to date,^[12] with some citing the "more consistently mature and challenging" effect of Timbaland on Brandy's music,^[13] and others calling it "very listenable and emotionally resonant", comparing it to "Janet Jackson at her best".^[14] Nevertheless it became the least successful album of Brandy's career: While Afrodisiac debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling less than 500,000 copies domestically, it failed to chart or sell noticeably outside the United States.^[15]

The singles also did not perform well: "Talk About Our Love" became a moderate hit with a peak position of number 36 on the Billboard Top 100 charts, while the follow-up "Who Is She 2 U" was a minor hit, never making it out of the lower half of the Billboard Hot 100. The title track "Afrodisiac", released overseas as a single, was a Top 20 hit in the United Kingdom. At the end of 2004, Norwood asked for and received a release from Atlantic Records. As a direct consequence she brought a collection of all of her singles, The Best of Brandy, on the market, before starting shopping for a new record deal under Knockout Entertainment.^[16]

[edit] 2006–present: Career development

This section contains information about a scheduled or expected future album. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content could change dramatically as the album release approaches and more information becomes available.

In June 2006, Norwood was cast as one of three talent judges on the first season of America's Got Talent, an amateur talent contest on NBC with executive producer Simon Cowell and host Regis Philbin. Brandy is scheduled to return for a second season of the show, which will start airing in summer 2007. However, there have been media reports in the U.S. that Sharon Osbourne, reality-TV show star and wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, is in talks to replace Brandy on the show, due to the singer's recent legal woes.

Norwood is currently putting the finishing touches on her yet-to-be-titled fifth studio album, which is scheduled for a fall 2007 release and involves producers The Neptunes,^[17] Bryce Wilson, Tim & Bob,^[18] Wyldcard, and executive producer Bryan Michael Cox.^[19] Next to this Brandy is expected to join her brother Ray-J and rappers Shorty Mack and Ashton for a group project named TKO (Tha Knock Out) whose debut album was orginally scheduled for an early 2007 release.^[20] The singer is also said to be in the works of a soundtrack for a yet-untitled video game in which she will be providing the voice for the main character.^[21]

[edit] Scientology

In 2004, Brandy was reported to be dabbling in Scientology. According to MSNBC she has been taking Scientology courses but has not "joined" the Church.^[22] She is quoted as telling Africana.com:

It basically consists of questions that probe really deeply into your life.

You are confronting all of your experiences, and I knew, ‘If I could confront every experience in my life and be cool with it, then nothing could stop me.’ They ask the questions, and you provide the answers. I am not a Scientologist, but I do love what I have experienced.

[edit] 2006 car accident

This section documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

On December 30, 2006, at 10:30 a.m., Brandy struck another vehicle from behind on a Los Angeles freeway while driving her 2007 Land Rover at 65 mph, causing a chain reaction involving a total of four vehicles, including hers. The car she hit, a 2005 Toyota Corolla, hit another car, and then crossed into oncoming traffic, where it was struck by the fourth vehicle. The driver of the Toyota, 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, a married mother of two, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in critical condition and died the next day. Brandy was not injured and was not arrested, and there is no evidence that drugs or alcohol were involved. ^[23][24] On January 29, 2007, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) recommended to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office that Brandy be charged with a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter, which carries maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. CHP found that Brandy was at fault in the December 30 accident for failing to prevent her Land Rover from hitting the car in front of her when traffic suddenly slowed. The City Attorney's Office is reviewing the case.^[25] On January 30, Aboudihaj's parents filed a law suit against Brandy for $50,000,000 for wrongful death. They seek both compensatory and punitive damages.^[26] On February 6, 2007 it was reported that the filing of a wrongful death suit by non-dependent parents is not permitted under California law; Bill Sayed, the attorney for Aboudihaj's husband, who can legally file suit, is reported to be conducting his own investigation.^[27] On February 8, 2007, a wrongful death suit seeking unspecified damages was filed against Brandy on behalf of Aboudihaj's minor sons, Mrwan Mohamed, 14, and Kareem Mohamed, 10. The two boys were riding in the car with their mother and sustained unspecified injuries which, according to their attorney, Paul N. Philips, "will likely cause some permanent disability".^[28]

Brandy's publicist has posted the following on her personal MySpace page:

“

Regarding The Accident: Brandy wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased. Brandy asks that you respect the privacy of everyone involved at this time.

”

[edit] Acting career

Brandy starred from 1996 until 2001 in the popular television sitcom Moesha, in which she played the lead character, a teenager. (This was not her first TV role; she had previously appeared in the short-lived 1993-1994 sitcom Thea, starring Thea Vidale).

In 1997, she played the title character in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s television version of Cinderella featuring a multi-cultural cast that also included Whitney Houston, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters. The TV-movie garnered over 66 million viewers and won an Emmy award.

Other roles include a television movie she co-produced and starred in with Diana Ross entitled Double Platinum; and a role in the franchise-flick I Still Know What You Did Last Summer where she portrayed the sassy Karla, best friend to Jennifer Love Hewitt's lead character. Brandy was said to be the considered lead in a Diana Ross biopic planned by the legendary singer. There has been no word on this project since 2001, however.

Brandy has also guest-starred in several television shows such as House and American Dreams. She recently did four guest star appearances in the UPN sitcom One on One alongside her brother Ray J. Most recently in a TV Guide interview Brandy stated that her upcoming new sitcom was slated to start production in March 2006.

[edit] Discography

For more information about her singles, albums certifications, and music video, see Brandy discography.

[edit] Albums

Brandy September 27, 1994 4x Platinum [29]	Never Say Never June 9, 1998 5x Platinum [30]	Full Moon March 5, 2002 Platinum [31]	Afrodisiac June 29, 2004 Gold [32]
The Best of Brandy April 5, 2005

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Film

• I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
• Osmosis Jones (2001) (voice)

[edit] TV

• Thea (1993-1994)
• Moesha (1996-2001)
• Cinderella (1997)
• Double Platinum (1999)
• America's Got Talent (2006-Present)

[edit] See also

• List of best-selling music artists
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of Hot 100 (U.S.) chart achievements and trivia
• List of celebrities who have been Punk'd on Seasons 1 to 5

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• http://www.foreverbrandy.com/ Brandy's Official Website
• Brandy's Official MySpace
• Brandy Norwood at the Internet Movie Database
• Brandy at All Music Guide