Brandy

Brandy

Synopsis of Pop Music

“No matter what time of day or night its true,
I wanna be down...”

Many stars have started their career at a young age, but not too many have been successful as quickly and on as many different fronts as Brandy. This driven and multi-talented young lady began a successful singing career at the age of 15. She also had her own hit television show and had starred in a chart-topping hit film before she reached age 20. More importantly, she has maintained her early success and turned it into a full-fledged career. Along the way, she has earned several awards and sold records by the million with her exuberant but mature brand of hip-hop-flavored pop music.

Brandy decided to follow in the footsteps of her idol Whitney Houston and become a professional singer at the tender age of four. She began performing at talent shows all over Los Angeles and was acting on the sitcom Thea by age 11. Meanwhile, she continued to sing and signed with Atlantic Records when she was 14. The next year, she released a self-titled debut album and scored an out-of-the-box hit with “I Wanna Be Down.” This song’s mixture of tough lyrics and a danceable hip-hop sound was topped off with an effective, surprisingly mature vocal from Brand. It quickly became a Top-10 hit.

Meanwhile, the Brandy album sold by the truckload and eventually went triple-platinum. It would also help Brandy win the Best Soul Artist honor at the American Music Awards. On the singles chart, Brandy scored another Top-5 hit with “Baby.” “Brokenhearted,” a duet with Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men, also went Top-10. Brandy also made strides as an actress when she landed the lead role in the UPN teen sitcom Moesha. Like Brandy’s record, this show became a fast hit.

In 1996, Brandy recorded the song “Sittin’ Up In My Room” for the soundtrack of Waiting To Exhale. Released as a single, the song became a #2 hit. The next year, the singer/actress played the title role in a TV update of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. This classic fairy tale set to music also allowed her to act and sing alongside her childhood idol, Whitney Houston. When ABC aired it in the summer of 1997, it attracted millions of viewers.

Brandy scored big in 1998 with “The Boy Is Mine,” a swaggering hip-hop duet that paired her with fellow young r&b vocalist Monica. It quickly became a #1 hit and also won Brandy a Grammy award. Brandy followed this success with another top-selling album, Never Say Never. The still-developing young artist blossomed as a songwriter on this album, co-writing 6 of its 14 songs. She also co-starred with fellow teen idol Jennifer Love Hewitt that year in the successful horror sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. She ended 1998 with a Top-10 hit in the form of “Have You Ever?”

In 1999, Brandy shared the stage with such luminaries as Cher, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner in VH-1’s Divas Live special. She also co-starred with Diana Ross that year in the music-themed television film Double Platinum. Meanwhile, Brandy continues to have success with her long-running show Moesha.

Although she has just entered her twenties, Brandy has racked up so many achievements that she would be remembered for years if she never performed again. But if the past is any indication, it is very likely that people will continue to see and hear this multi-talented young star on television, film and radio for many years to come.

Artist Release History

1995 - Brandy
1998 - Never Say Never

Pop Sub Categories

pop
r&b
hip hop

Essential Music Albums

Brandy (Atlantic)

Band Members

Brandy Norwood vocals

Other Pop Music Links