Brandy Norwood

"I was born on February 11th, 1979 in McComb, a small town in Mississippi. My parents, Willie Norwood, Sr. and Sonja Bates-Norwood, have tried to conceive a child for a while until I came into this world. In 1977, Sonja Norwood had a miscarriage just about a month before her due date. Doctors told her that getting pregnant once again would be a high risk for her life. Determined to have a baby of her own, Sonja finally had a baby girl (Me) named Brandy in 1979. As soon as she saw me, she told the doctor he just delivered a star.""Two years later, We expanded our family with a baby boy named Willie Raymond Norwood, Renamed after our Father, also known as singer and actor Ray-J. Shortly after the birth of Ray-J, My father, a music director, accepted a job offer in a Californian church. We then moved to Carson, a suburb in L.A."
"Officially singing since the age of two, I could sing before I even started talking. My father working as a musical church director, I joined the Gospel choir and was singing lead most of the times. I didn't know I would make it a living until I saw Whitney Houston's video for "How Will I Know" on VH1. As soon as I saw Whitney on television, I ran up to my mom and told her I wanted to become a professional singer."
"Entering my early teenage years, manager Chris Strokes discovered Me and took Me to shop around record companies, seeking a good record deal. I attended a party held by the notorious Atlantic Recording Corporation and sang in front of important people in the music industry. Seeing that nobody was paying attention to Me, I became the center of attention by telling the crowd how rude it was. I sang once again, this time catching an executive's hear. I was then signed to Atlantic at the tender age of 14. My mother, Sonja Norwood, automatically quit her job as a financial analyst to become my full-time manager".
"A year later, My self-titled album was released and was an instant success. Songs like "I Wanna Be Down," "Best Friend," and "Brokenhearted" topped the charts for several weeks. Her hit "Baby" also earned me a 1996 Grammy nomination. To date, I 'Brandy' has sold more than four million copies in the US alone, making Me one of the most successful teenage female singer. With my first effort, I opened many doors for young female artists in the likes of Monica, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears". "Interestingly enough, I got broke into the entertainment field as a young aspiring actress. In 1993, I was casted as Danesha Turrell in the sitcom Thea. Though the show was quite popular, it only aired for a season, and was then canceled. But this wasn't going to stop me from appearing on television. After getting all the success from my first album, I returned to acting with the hit sitcom Moesha, playing the main character of the same name. Premiering in January 1995 on UPN, Moesha was the network's biggest series to date, being the most watched show in Black and Hispanic households in America".
"With all the success that Moesha was getting, rumors started going around that I wasn't getting along with members of the cast and production team. Vida Spears, a producer on the show, was fired and many claimed I and My mother was responsible for the firing. Also, rumors of a feud between Myself and cast member Countess Vaughn appeared in many tabloids. When countess apparently called me the b-word, A few years later, Countess Vaughn had her own spin-off of Moesha airing on UPN as well, becoming a fierce competition for Norwood. Shortly after, newspapers had headlines saying I had collapsed on the set of Moesha because of diet pills and was rushed to the hospital. I automatically denied the false allegations, I didn't feel well and did go to the hospital, but never collapsed. Doctors diagnosed me with dehydration, having nothing to do with diet pills, which I never took. After six seasons, Moesha was canceled, ending with a bad series finale in 2000". "In 1997, Whitney Houston asked for me to play the main character in the remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, film that was produced by Houston and made for television only. I could not believe it and was more than happy to accept the offer. The telefilm was a huge success and became Disney's most watched movie on television, catching millions of viewers.""That same year, Atlantic started pressuring Me to record my second album. However, I refused to do so due to a stage fright I got earlier at a Gospel concert. After a lot of talking, the teenager went into the process of making her sophomore album. After recording four songs, I called the recording off, wasting thousands and thousands of dollars"."Fortunately, I returned in the studio in the fall of 1997 and hired a new production team, whom I will stick to for many years. Nine months later, in June 1998, My second album 'Never Say Never' saw the light, and was even bigger than her first effort. Having more control over the creative process, I co-wrote and co-produced six songs on the album, including her biggest hit so far, "The Boy Is Mine," duet with Monica. The single stayed...1 nine weeks consecutively on The Billboard Hot 100, and spent thirteen weeks on radio charts. Selling more than two million copies, the single became the most successful song interpreted by a female duet in history. It also won a 1999 Grammy award for Best Collaboration with Vocals. Other Top Ten hits from 'Never Say Never' include "Have You Ever," "Top Of The World," and "Almost Doesn't Count." Being my best selling work to date, 'Never Say Never' has sold more than five million copies in the US.""Still looking to improve my acting skills, Brandy made my debut on the big screen in 1998 with the hit sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, directed by the legendary Wes Craven and starring hotties such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prince, Jr. Mekhi Phifer--who played Me and Monica's boyfriend in the video for "The Boy Is Mine"--was also part of the cast, starring as my lover".
"In Spring 1999, I returned to television with Double Platinum, a hit drama telefilm about a multi-platinum songstress who tries to catch time with her daughter she left behind eighteen years ago to pursue her musical career. I had the most wonderful opportunity to share the spotlight with none other than Diana Ross, who played My mother. The made-for-TV movie aired on ABC and had great success, catching millions of viewers.""Shortly after, I was asked to perform at VH1's Divas Live, along with divas such as Whitney Houston, Faith Hill, Cher, and Mary J. Blidge. During the summer, I was named the international spokesperson for UNICEF. I also won a Teen Choice Award for Best Female Music Artist, and went on a worldwide tour, which was unfortunately stopped in August so that I could start shooting new episodes for Moesha."
"After Moesha was canceled in 2000, I took a two-year hiatus from the public eye, except for a few Cover Girl commercials here and there. Says Brandy, "In the past two years, I've focused on getting to know who I am inside. I took a break to reflect on myself as a person and I've grown a lot. There was a side of me that I've known and people close to me have known which was different from the public image of who I was." Getting to know who I was a lot more difficult than expected. "A part of yourself is taken from you in the public eye," she says. "And that was one of my problems. I didn't know who I was because so many people had this idea and image of me that wasn't necessarily who I was. But I've experienced some things and I've learned some lessons, good and bad. I'm a woman now,”"I then slowly started the recording of her third studio album, and made a few appearances on television. She appeared at the 2001 BET Awards with brother Ray-J, and released a song called "Open" for the soundtrack to the movie Osmosis Jones, movie that she voiced a cartoon character for. Slowly, the anticipation of new material from me was starting to grow".
"Four years have passed since 'Never Say Never' was released. I matured and grew up to be a wonderful, successful, strong African-American woman. Yes, I am a woman now. My new album, 'Full Moon,' certainly marks that passage from teenage girl to woman. Tracks such as "When You Touch Me" and "Like This" show us a side of Brandy that was never shown to the public eye. 'Full Moon' is all about getting in touch with the personal side of me, and coming full circle. , "before I was doing a number of things and couldn't feel the overwhelming feeling of creating because I was so busy and stretched, doing everything at the same time. I'm really excited about recording and promoting and meeting my fans and staying in touch. And that's important because I love making music.""With a new baby, a loving husband, and a supportive family, Brandy can finally say "WOW" and enjoy life to the fullest. Face it; she's not the little girl who used to sing "I wanna be down"--and we're kind of glad that she isn't".
"After a while together Robert and I came to an agreement that it wasn't working and decided to split having just a common law marriage Robert and I didn't experience a nasty divorce but a messy break up in the public eye, I thought love had reached me but not until I found a new love a real love one that can never be replaced that’s the love I share with new found beau "Quentin "Q" Richardson" He is a former basketball player for the L.A. Clippers but switched to the well known Houston Rockets. He is wonderful, and everyday I am reminded of that. "Love is to precious to go to waist” My little family "Q", Sarai, and I. Just like the song says "Wow"
Brandy has garnered countless honors and awards, including a Grammy Award for her 1998 chart-topper, The Boy Is Mine. She has also received Grammy Award nominations for her first album and for her songs on the soundtracks for Waiting to Exhale and Set It Off, two Billboard Awards, an American Music Award, several NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Lady of Soul awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Song, and the Nickelodeon Award in the Favorite Singer category.Although her performance and appearance schedule keeps her extremely busy, Brandy is committed to humanitarian efforts. With her brother Ray J, she has formed a non-profit organization, The Norwood Kids Foundation, dedicated to providing underprivileged youth enrichment through the performing arts. Signed to the prestigious Wilhemena International modeling agency, Brandy is a featured spokesperson for Cover Girl and Candies. Next year Mattel will introduce a Brandy doll - Barbie's new celebrity friend, and she'll be featured in her own DC Comics book. Engaged to NBA player Quentin Richardson (July 2004)