Brandy Rayana Norwood was born on February 11, 1979, in Macomb, Mississippi. Her father, Willie Ray Norwood, was a pastor and choir director, and by the age of two, Brandy was singing in his church. Her mother, Sonja Bates, is a cousin of blues singer, Bo Diddley, and she quit her job at H&R Block to manage her daughter’s career. As a child, Brandy revered Whitney Houston and she told her father at a very age that she wanted to sing like her when she grew up. When, Brandy was nine, her family moved to California where she began singing in talent shows in 1990. By the age of 14, she landed a record deal with Atlantic Records, and in 1994 her first album, “Brandy,” was released and reached gold status in less than two months and platinum soon after. It sold 4 million copies in the United States alone and 6 million copies worldwide.
In 1996, she was chosen by People Magazine as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People” in the world. She was also nominated for the “Best New Artist” Grammy and “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.” She won many awards afterwards and attended Pepperdine University in 1999 but dropped out because of her demanding schedule. For the next few years, her career has skyrocketed and moved into many different directions. She had a successful television series, “Moeisha”, not to mention a subsidiary career as a model/endorser for Cover Girl cosmetics, Candies Shoes and DKNY Jeans.
She married Robert Smith in 2001 and has a daughter, Sy’rai who was born in 2002. She and her husband are now divorced. In 2001, she released her third album, “Full Moon,” which was partly dedicated to the memory of Aaliyah, the 22-year-old singer/ actress who died in a plane crash in August of that year.
Her career has sailed non-stop to the current day. She is planning the release this December of a fifth studio album. She continues to perform, much to the pleasure of her many, many adoring fans.
Here’s to you Brandy! You have made it!
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