Brandy Norwood

Brandy Norwood, known mononymously as Brandy, is a singer, actress and producer best known for her multiplatinum music career and starring role on the sitcom Moesha. Raised in Carson, California, she began singing in her church choir as a child and later attended Hollywood High School. Eventually, Brandy studied with a private tutor after she began acting.

Brandy signed with Atlantic Records at age 14 and released her self-titled debut album Brandy in 1994. It sold over six million copies worldwide and produced hits like “I Wanna Be Down” and “Baby.” She gained further fame starring in the titular role on the UPN series Moesha from 1996 to 2001. In 1997, she acted alongside Whitney Houston in the television remake of Cinderella.

Her 1998 duet with Monica, “The Boy Is Mine,” became one of the best-selling singles of the year and was awarded the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. She went on to release albums such as Never Say Never (1998), Full Moon (2002) and B7 (2020). As an actress, she’s appeared in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998),  Queens, The Game and Star.

Brandy was previously in a relationship with producer Robert “Big Bert” Smith, with whom she shares a daughter, Sy’rai (born in 2002). She briefly moved on with Quentin Richardson and later dated Flo Rida before getting engaged to music executive Ryan Press in 2012. The pair broke off their engagement in 2014.