Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979),[1] better known mononymously as Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and model. 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.
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 first hit song "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.
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]
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]
In 1997, Norwood was hand-picked by producer Whitney Houston to play the title character in Rodgers and Hammerstein's television version of Cinderella featuring a multiracial cast that also included Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Houston.[33] The two-hour Wonderful World of Disney special garnered an estimated 60 million viewers, giving the network its highest ratings in the time period in 16 years, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program the following year.[34]
Fledgling producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins was consulted to contribute to Norwood's second album Never Say Never. Norwood co-wrote and produced six songs for the record, including her first number-one song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with singer Monica that has become the most successful song by a female duo in the music industry. Exploiting the media's presumption of a rivalry between the two young singers, the song was one of the most successful records in the United States of all time,[35] spending a record-breaking thirteen weeks atop the Billboard charts, and eventually garnering the pair a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Never Say Never was released in June 1998 and became Norwood's biggest-selling album, selling over 16 million copies worldwide and reaching number two on the Billboard 200.[36] Critics rated the album highly, with AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praising Norwood 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."[37] Altogether, the album spawned seven singles, including Norwood's second number-one song, the Diane Warren-penned "Have You Ever?"[1] To promote the album she went on the Never Say Never World Tour in 1999, consisting of shows in Europe, Asia, and the United States.[38][39]
After backing out of a role in F. Gary Gray's 1996 film Set It Off,[40] Norwood made her big screen debut in the supporting role of Karla Wilson in the slasher film, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.[40] The movie outperformed the original with a total of $16.5 million at its opening weekend, but critical reaction to the film was largely disappointing, with the film review site Rotten Tomatoes calculating a poor rating of 7% based on 46 reviews.[41] Norwood, however, earned positive reviews for her "bouncy" performance,[42] which garnered her both a Blockbuster Entertainment Award and an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Female Performance.[21] In 1999, she co-starred with Diana Ross in the telefilm drama Double Platinum about an intense, strained relationship between a mother and daughter.[43] Shot in only twenty days in New York City, both Norwood and Ross served as executive producers of the movie which features original songs from their respective albums Never Say Never (1998) and Every Day Is a New Day (1999), as well as previously unreleased duets. The same year, Norwood headlined VH-1's Divas Live '99, alongside Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, and Cher.[43]
After a lengthy hiatus following the end of Moesha, and a number of tabloid headlines discussing her long-term battle with dehydration, Norwood returned to music in 2001, when she and brother Ray-J were asked to record a cover version of Phil Collins' 1990 hit "Another Day in Paradise" for the tribute album Urban Renewal: A Tribute to Phil Collins.[44] Released as the album's first single in Europe and Oceania, the song became an instant international success overseas, scoring top-ten entries on the majority of all charts it appeared on.[45] Norwood also contributed the Mike City track “Open” to the soundtrack from Osmosis Jones. The track remained unavailable on digital download and streaming sites until its rerelease twenty years later on October 8, 2021.[46]
Full Moon, Norwood's third studio album, was released in February 2002. It was composed of R&B and pop-oriented songs, many of them co-created with Jerkins, Warryn Campbell and Mike City. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[36] Its lead single "What About Us?" became a worldwide top-ten hit, and the album's title track was a Top 20 hit in the United States and the UK.[47][48] Media reception was generally lukewarm, with Rolling Stone describing the album as "frantic, faceless, fake-sexy R&B."[49] Within the coming year, Norwood and Robert "Big Bert" Smith began writing and producing for other artists such as Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland, and Kiley Dean.[50] Norwood's foray into reality television began in 2002 with the MTV series Diary Presents Brandy: Special Delivery; the show documented the final months of Norwood's pregnancy and the birth of her daughter Sy'rai.
Returning from yet another hiatus, Norwood's fourth album Afrodisiac was released in June 2004, amid the well-publicized termination of her short-lived business relationship with entertainment manager Benny Medina.[51] Norwood ended her contract with his Los Angeles-based Handprint Entertainment after less than a year of representation following controversies surrounding Medina's handling of the lead single "Talk About Our Love", and failed negotiations of a purported co-headlining tour with R&B singer Usher.[51] Despite the negative publicity, Afrodisiac became Norwood's most critically acclaimed album,[52] with some highlighting the "more consistently mature and challenging" effect of Timbaland on Norwood's music,[53] and others calling it "listenable and emotionally resonant", comparing it to "Janet Jackson at her best."[54] A moderate seller, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and received certifications in the United States, Europe and Japan.[55] "Talk About Our Love" reached number six in the United Kingdom, but subsequent singles failed to score successfully on the popular music charts.[56] Later that year, she guest-starred as Gladys Knight in the third-season premiere of American Dreams, in which she performed "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".[57]
After eleven years with the company, Norwood asked for and received an unconditional release from Atlantic Records at the end of 2004, citing her wish "to move on" as the main reason for her decision.[58] Completing her contract with the label, a compilation album titled The Best of Brandy was released in March 2005. Released without any promotional single, it reached the top 30 in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, where the collection was appreciated by contemporary critics who noted the creativity of Norwood's back catalogue.[59] Andy Kellman of AllMusic expressed, "This set, unlike so many other anthologies from her contemporaries, hardly confirms dwindling creativity or popularity."[60] Thereupon she reportedly began shopping a new record deal under the auspices of Knockout Entertainment, her brother's vanity label.[61]
In February 2006, Norwood began appearing in a recurring role on UPN sitcom One on One, playing the sister to brother Ray J's character D-Mack.[62] In June, she was cast as one of three talent judges on the first season of America's Got Talent, an amateur talent contest on NBC executive-produced by Simon Cowell and hosted by Regis Philbin. The broadcast was one of the most-watched programs of the summer, and concluded on August 17, 2006, with the win of 11-year-old singer Bianca Ryan. Norwood was originally slated to return for a second season in summer 2007, but eventually decided not to, feeling that she "couldn't give the new season the attention and commitment it deserved," following the fatal 2006 car accident in which she was involved.[63] She was replaced by reality TV star Sharon Osbourne.[63]
Norwood's fifth studio album, Human, was released in December 2008, produced by Toby Gad, Brian Kennedy, and RedOne.[64][65] Distributed by Koch Records and Sony Music, the album marked Norwood's debut on the Epic Records label,[66] and her reunion with long-time contributor and mentor Rodney Jerkins, who wrote and executive produced most of the album.[64] Generally well received by critics, Human debuted at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 73,000 copies.[67] With a domestic sales total of 214,000 copies, it failed to match the success of its predecessors.[68] While lead-off single "Right Here (Departed)" scored Norwood her biggest chart success since 2002's "Full Moon", the album failed to impact elsewhere, resulting in lackluster sales in general and the end of her contract with the label, following the controversial appointment of Amanda Ghost as president of Epic Records, and Norwood's split with rapper Jay-Z's Roc Nation management.[69][70][71]
In December 2009, she officially introduced her rapping alter-ego Bran'Nu with two credits on Timbaland's album Timbaland Presents Shock Value 2,[72] and was cast in the pilot episode for the ABC series This Little Piggy, also starring Rebecca Creskoff and Kevin Rahm, which was recast the following year.[73]
In April 2010, Norwood and Ray J debuted in the VH1 reality series Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business along with their parents. The show chronicled the backstage lives of both siblings, while taking on larger roles in their family's management and production company, R&B Productions.[74] Executive produced by the Norwood family, the season concluded after eleven episodes, and was renewed for a second season, which began broadcasting in fall 2010.[75] A Family Business, a compilation album with previously unreleased content from the entire cast was released on Saguaro Road Records in June 2011.[76] Critics such as The Washington Post declared it an "awkward and adorable and really, really wholesome collection."[77] While the album failed to chart, it produced three promotional singles, including the joint track "Talk to Me".[78]
In fall 2010, Norwood appeared as a contestant on season 11 of the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars, partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She ultimately placed fourth in the competition, which was a shock to the judges, viewers, studio audience, and other contestants that considered her one of the show's frontrunners throughout the entire competition.[79] In August 2011, it was confirmed that Norwood had signed a joint record deal with RCA Records and producer Breyon Prescott's Chameleon Records.[80][81][82] In September, a new talent show, Majors & Minors, created by musician Evan Bogart, premiered on The Hub. It followed a group of young performers age 10–16 and their chance to be mentored by some established artists such as Norwood, Ryan Tedder and Leona Lewis.[83] Later that same year, Norwood returned to acting roles with recurring appearances on The CW's teen drama series 90210, and in the fourth season of the Lifetime's comedy series Drop Dead Diva, in which she played the role of Elisa Shayne.[84]
In 2011, Norwood joined the cast of the BET comedy series The Game, playing the recurring role of Chardonnay, a bartender.[85] She became a regular cast member by the next season.[86] In February 2012, Norwood reteamed with Monica on "It All Belongs to Me", which was released as a single from the latter's album New Life.[87] Norwood's own comeback single "Put It Down" featuring singer Chris Brown was released later that year. The song reached number three on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming her first top ten entry in ten years.[88] Her sixth album Two Eleven, which was released in October, saw a return to her R&B sound, but with what Norwood described a "progressive edge".[89] A moderate commercial success, it was viewed as a humble comeback from Norwood, reaching number three on the US Billboard 200, and the top of the Billboard US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[90]
In March 2013, Norwood returned to film, joining an ensemble cast consisting of Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross and Vanessa L. Williams in Tyler Perry's drama Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.[91] Norwood plays supporting character Melinda, a woman with secrets. The film received generally negative reviews from critics but became a moderate US box office success.[92][93] In June 2013, Norwood signed with Creative Artists Agency, headquartered in Los Angeles,[94] and in early 2014, she arranged a management deal with MBK Entertainment with CEO Jeff Robinson.[95] In July, she was also inducted as an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[96] The same month, Norwood released a cover version of Coldplay's song "Magic" to her TwitMusic account; it peaked at number one on Billboard's Trending 140 chart.[97][98] Also in 2014, Norwood made guest appearances on VH1's Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood and the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man. At the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards, she reunited with Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Yo-Yo to perform the hip hop remix of "I Wanna Be Down" in celebration of its 20th anniversary.[99]
After finishing the filming of the final season of The Game, Norwood made her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago, in which she played the lead role of Roxie Hart, beginning in April 2015.[100] Although initially a six-week run, her engagement was extended until August 2015,[101] prompting Norwood to reprise the role on several occasions in 2016 and 2017.[102][103][104] Also in 2015, Norwood appeared on British house duo 99 Souls's mashup single "The Girl Is Mine", for which she re-recorded her vocals from "The Boy Is Mine".[105] The song reached the top five in Belgium and the United Kingdom as well as the top 40 on other international charts, where it became her highest-charting single in years.[106]
In January 2016, Norwood co-executive produced and starred as the lead in the BET sitcom Zoe Ever After,[107] a multi-camera romantic comedy about a newly single mom stepping out of the shadow of her famous boxer ex-husband.[108] While it debuted to respectable ratings,[109] Norwood decided not to return to the show, and it was soon after cancelled.[110] The same month, Norwood released the standalone single "Beggin & Pleadin" through her own label Slayana Records, after receiving a positive response to initially unveiling the track on SoundCloud.[111][112][113] That February, Norwood announced her Slayana World Tour, which highlighted stops in both Europe and Oceania.[114] Her first headlining tour in eight years, it was ended ahead of schedule on June 30 after Norwood was hospitalized due to exhaustion.[115] In March, Norwood sued Chameleon Entertainment Group and its president, Breyon Prescott, after the label reportedly refused to allow her to record and release new albums. After the lawsuit was thrown out of court due to one particular clause, Norwood filed another one several months later, demanding $270,000 in compensation and a "court declaration that she is contractually freed from Chameleon." Both parties reached a settlement in 2017.[116]
In November 2016, Norwood became the second recipient of the Lady of Soul Award at the Soul Train Music Awards. Her stripped-down nine-minute song medley was met with praise.[117] Two months later, Norwood competed with her brother Ray J on the FOX reality cooking series My Kitchen Rules.[118] In July 2018, Norwood became a series regular on the Fox musical drama television series Star. She played the role of Cassie, starting as a recurring role in the second season, and remained a series regular until the series' ending in 2019.[119] The same year, she appeared on "Optimistic", a Sounds of Blackness cover that preceded the self-titled debut of supergroup August Greene, consisting of Common, Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins,[120] as well as on Dutch DJ's Lucas & Steve's "I Could Be Wrong", a dance-heavy rework of her 1994 single "I Wanna Be Down" that became a minor hit on the dance charts.[121]
In 2019, Norwood was honored with the BMI President's Award at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, organized by Broadcast Music, Inc.[122] In June, she appeared on Canadian singer Daniel Caesar's second album Case Study 01, lending vocals to their duet "Love Again". Released as a single, it earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance at the 62nd awards ceremony and reached the top of the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, becoming Norwood's first song to do so.[123] In September 2019, she released the buzz single "Freedom Rings" which was released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of her self-titled debut album.[124]
Norwood's seventh studio album B7, her first album in eight years, was released in July 2020. Her first project as an independent artist, it was released through her own label Brand Nu Inc., with distribution handled by eOne Music. A departure from her previous work, Norwood co-wrote and co-produced the majority of the album, which was chiefly produced by Darhyl Camper.[125] The release was preceded by lead single "Baby Mama" featuring Chance the Rapper.[126] B7 debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, also reaching number 2 on UK R&B Albums.[127][128] The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with numerous publications including it on their lists of the best albums of 2020, and earned a nomination in the Album of the Year category at the 2020 Soul Train Awards.[129]
In August 2020, Norwood and Monica battled in the webcast series Verzuz. Filmed at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,[130][131] it was watched by a record-breaking 1.2 million viewers on the Instagram live stream alone.[132][133] BET listed the moment as number one on its "The 20 Most OMG Viral Moments of 2020" list.[134] Two months later, Norwood performed a medley at the Billboard Music Awards, which were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.[135]
In March 2021, Norwood was chosen by John Legend as a mentor on the twentieth season of the singing competition series The Voice.[136][137][138] Also that month, Norwood collaborated with Disney on the single "Starting Now",[139][140][141][142][143][144] the theme song for the music special Disney Princess Remixed — An Ultimate Princess Celebration, released in August 2021.[145][146] Also that month, Norwood, alongside Naturi Naughton, Eve and Nadine Velazquez, joined the cast of ABC's music drama series Queens in which she played one-fourth of a veteran hip-hop group.[147][148][149][150] Norwood recorded several new songs for the series which debuted to reviews largely positive reviews in October 2021; with Variety praising the quartet's musical offering, calling their raps “sharp and distinct […] making clear their talent as both individuals and a swaggering collective,” but was not renewed the following year.[151]
In March 2022, Norwood released "Nothing Without You", a duet alongside daughter Sy'Rai,[152] recorded for the soundtrack to the comedy film Cheaper by the Dozen (2022).[153] In April, singer Mariah Carey revealed "The Roof (When I Feel the Need)," a re-recorded and re-imagined version of her 1998 single "The Roof (Back in Time)" featuring new vocals from Norwood,[154] for the former's course on MasterClass.[155] In October 2022, Norwood was nominated for Best Global Act at the All Africa Music Awards 2022 for "Somebody's Son," her collaboration with Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage.[156][157][158] Also that year, Norwood joined the cast of Descendants: The Rise of Red, a standalone sequel to the Descendants franchise in which she will reprise the role of Cinderella.[159]
In April 2023, Norwood's daughter, Sy'Rai, confirmed that her mother would be the vocal and executive producer on her forthcoming debut EP.[160] In November 2023, Norwood released her eighth studio album, Christmas with Brandy, a collection of six original songs and six cover versions of Christmas standards.[161][162] The project marked her major label return after signing with Motown Records in June 2022 and reached the top thirty on the US Top Holiday Albums chart.[6] Its release coincided with the release of the Netflix Christmas comedy film Best. Christmas. Ever!, directed by Mary Lambert and starring Norwood alongside Heather Graham, Jason Biggs, and Matt Cedeño.[163] While the film became hit in its first week on the streaming service, it earned largely negative reviews from critics and audiences, with The Guardian calling it one of "worst" comedies of the season.[164] On November 23, 2023, Norwood performed "Someday at Christmas" at the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[165][166][167][168]
On February 4, 2024, Norwood performed at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards; Burna Boy's single, "Sittin' on Top of the World", which heavily sampled Norwood's own "Top of the World", had been nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance.[169][170][171]
A24's The Front Room, a psychological horror film from directors Max and Sam Eggers is expected to be released in 2024, starring Brandy.[172]
Norwood possesses a contralto vocal range.[173][174][175] Her voice has often been described as soft, raspy, and husky by music critics and Norwood herself.[176] 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."[177] 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."[178] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Brandy at number 193 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[179]
Norwood's initial sound on her eponymous debut album was "street-oriented" R&B,[180] that incorporated elements of hip hop[180][181] and pop-soul.[181] 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")".[181] 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.[182][183][184] 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.[185] 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.[183]
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.[186] 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.[187] 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.[188]