
To manage her daughter, Norwood's mother soon resigned from her job, while Norwood herself dropped out of Hollywood High School later, and was tutored privately from tenth grade on. In 1993, amid ongoing negotiations with East West Records, Norwood's parents organized a recording contract with the Atlantic Recording Corporation after auditioning for the company's director of A&R Darryl Williams. In 1990, her talent led to a contract 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. Norwood began entering talent shows by the time she was eleven, and, as part of a youth singing group, performed at several public functions. Norwood's interest in music and performing increased after becoming a fan of singer Whitney Houston at the age of seven, but at school, she experienced trouble with persuading teachers to send her on auditions as she found no support among the staff. In 1983, her parents relocated to Los Angeles, California, where Norwood was schooled at the Hollywood High Performing Arts Center. Raised in a Christian home, 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. Brandy is the older sister of entertainer Ray J, as well as a cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg and WWE wrestler Sasha Banks. Norwood was born on February 11, 1979, in McComb, Mississippi, the daughter of Willie Norwood, a gospel singer and choir director, and his wife, Sonja Norwood (née Bates), a district manager for H&R Block.

She has become known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-layering, and intricate riffs, which has earned her the nickname 'The Vocal Bible' from industry peers and critics. Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, and seven Billboard Music Awards. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists Norwood as one of the top selling artists in the United States, with 10.5 million certified albums. This makes her one of the best selling female artists of all time.

She starred in and executive produced a new sitcom Zoe Ever After on the BET network in January 2016.Īs of July 2018, she has sold over 40 million records worldwide, over 10.5 million in album sales, and has been streamed over 1.5 billion times, making her the only 90's female artist to do so. In April 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago.
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In 2012 she became a series regular in the BET series The Game, and released her sixth album Two Eleven to critical praise. 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. In the 2010s, Norwood received a critical and commercial resurgence. After several lawsuits stemming from the accident, Norwood's fifth album, Human (2008), was released to commercial failure. She served as a judge on the first season of America's Got Talent before being involved in a widely publicized car accident in 2006.
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Her third and fourth albums, Full Moon(2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), were released to critical and commercial success.

In 2002, she starred in the reality series Brandy: Special Delivery, documenting the birth of her daughter. Throughout the 2000s, Norwood held a precarious position in the pop industry. This launched her into international stardom, with films, endorsements, sold out concert tours, and her own line of Barbie dolls. Her second album, Never Say Never, sold 16 million copies worldwide, featured two number one singles, and earned Norwood her first Grammy Award. She resumed her music career in 1998 with the wildly successful duet with fellow R&B contemporary Monica, "The Boy Is Mine", which went on to become the best selling female duet of all time, and one of the longest running number one singles in history. Norwood starred in the UPN sitcom Moesha as the title character, which lasted six seasons and resulted in numerous other roles. The following year, she released her self-titled debut album, which was certified quadruple Platinum in the US, selling six million copies worldwide. In 1993, Norwood signed with Atlantic Records. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, she began her career as a child and performed as a backing vocalist for teen groups. Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), known professionally by her mononym Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.
