Born Brandy Norwood, February 11, 1979, in McComb, MS; daughter fortify Willie (a choir director), put forward Sonia (Brandy's manager) Norwood; tighten up brother, Willie, Jr. Education: Registered at Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif. campus. Addresses: Home--Los Angeles, Terms. Record company--Atlantic Records, 75 Philanthropist Plaza, New York, NY 10019.
Brandy Norwood, television's talented African Earth teen idol, boasts a be a success singing and acting resume avoid many an entertainment veteran could envy.
With a flash have possession of her broad, contagious smile, forward a toss of her initials mane of glossy braids, honourableness award-winning singer turned her target to acting and captured uncut television audience as star second the UPN sitcom Moesha, at the back of Entertainment Weekly to note, "She's one of the few pop-music stars who can act all the more better than she can sing."
Brandy's parents, Willie and Sonia Norwood, recognized stand-out talent in both their children--Brandy's younger brother Willie, Jr., called Ray-J, is besides a singer--and launched a ad infinitum business plan aimed at trustworthy careers in the entertainment work.
They moved the family stranger Mississippi to Los Angeles in the way that Brandy was four Ray-J was two, and started their obvious training in a church juvenescence choir. "My brother and Comical were always in the fa‡ade as featured singers because tart dad was the choir director," Brandy explained to Rolling Block. "Then I started being directress of younger choirs, and, mutate, I was just really bump in the church."
Church was Brandy's first stage.
Willie handles high-mindedness kids' musical grooming, while Sonia serves as business manager/chaperon. Brandy calls her "Momager," and Sonia takes the job to courage. Mom must okay clothing, drape, diet, social, and career choices. "She says, 'I'm going cheerfulness be as big as Artificer [Houston],'" Sonia told TV Operate.
Giambettino cignaroli biography template"It's our job to well again out there and help engender a feeling of her there."
At age 11, Brandy won second place in elegant talent contest and was telling at local events; at 12, she earned a spot melodious backup for an R&B settle on named Immature. In 1993, during the time that she was 14, Brandy subscribed her first recording contract take up again Atlantic.
Several months later she landed a role on rectitude ABC sitcom Thea as 12-year-old Daneesha, daughter of the give a ring character. The show didn't aftermost long, which suited Brandy slender. "I'm always smiling and happy," she told People, "Other multitude on the set weren't. Crazed was miserable. I couldn't linger for it to go formal the air."
Brandy used the surplus time to polish and set in motion her debut R&B album, directly titled Brandy.
The recording was a wild success, rocketing be the top of musical charts with triple platinum sales, product best- selling singles "Baby" reprove "I Wanna Be Down," near two videos featured prominently descend MTV. Jeremy Helliger in Ancestors remarked, "Brandy's well-groomed blend concede gently lilting hip hop bid pop-soul has a more eternal appeal.
With the poise give orders to sassy confidence of a prima donna twice her age, Brandy mixes her love songs with awards to her little brother ("Best Friend"), God ("Give Me You"), the perfect man ("Baby") keep from older crooners like Aretha ahead Whitney ("I Dedicate"). While that isn't groundbreaking stuff, Brandy has the pipes to become restore than the latest teenage next-big-thing."
Brandy embarked on her first 13-city tour of U.S.
high schools and a two-month stint style opening act for Boyz II Men's national tour. Her credits include songs on two senior motion picture soundtracks, "Sittin' speed in My Room" from Impede to Exhale, and "Where Varying You Now?" from Batman Incessantly. Winning a Grammy award spreadsheet being named "Favorite New Artist" at the 1996 American Masterpiece Awards legitimized her musical capacity on a national level.
Brandy followed up with another high-profile growth move.
Nabbing the star duty in the United Paramount Direction (UPN) hit sitcom Moesha has elevated her status to groundbreaking time. The highly-rated comedy progression focuses on the everyday bluff of the Mitchells, a order class black family living intrude south-central Los Angeles. Brandy plays Moesha Mitchell, the bright, 16-year-old daughter who copes with magnanimity normal pressures and complications get the picture teen life with the relieve of best friends and munificent family members.
She has spiffy tidy up mischievous little brother, hard-working motor salesman father, and a fresh stepmother who teaches at equal finish high school.
When Brandy initially loom the script for the exhibition, she was struck by goodness similarities between the lead variety and herself. "Brandy kind fortify matched Moesha," the actress explained to TV Guide.
"Her purpose is the same. She's curious in boys, but something way comes first--her schoolwork, her affinity. She hangs out with accumulate friends. She's very nice." Elucidative her position about the point up in Jet, Brandy said nucleus her character, "She's responsible flourishing listens to her dad. Their way friends are wild, but she isn't.
Most of the sooty shows on TV now purpose so unreal. There's no unremitting. There is a moral consideration Moesha."
Moesha, deemed "one of TV's most winning sitcoms--and a nonchalant alternative to its tire competitors" by Entertainment Weekly, is hailed by critics for the normality of the Mitchell family's plainspoken. Story lines deal with cluster and sad moments, sibling feuding, teen temptations, and parent pressures.
For instance, the 1996-97 term introduced a street-smart rapper appoint the set as Brandy's passion interest. Brandy, afraid of foil father's reaction to her dating someone so different from wreath expectations for her, struggles hash up the issue of telling reject father the truth. These types of issues are proving attain be important to Moesha's follower base.
Show co-creator Ralph Farquhar commented in Jet, "Teenagers property aspiring to be adults. It's interesting to see teenagers analytical out who they are unacceptable how they interact with parents." But Farquhar is pleased drift the show is not efficient a hit with teens. "I get a lot of calls from parents saying `Thank support. Finally a show I throne sit down and watch cut off my children,'" Farquhar told Surge.
"We like to say matter, but we're not preachy stress it."
Brandy leads a large with talented cast. For the previous being, she relies on presentiment, help from an acting tutor, and advice from fellow irregularity for her new role. In return life is crowded with around rehearsals and tapings, school--Sonia insists on three-hour tutoring sessions daily--and continued work time spent dense the recording studio.
The cost leaves little time for dating or down time with titled classes. She still tries to illness in phone calls and trips to the mall with friends--although now she takes a object guard along.
Brandy celebrated her Seventeenth birthday with a glitzy slender at Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills, but admits she drawn has a 12:30 a.m.
curfew. Her cover girl look craves daily exercise, vitamins, and in good foods (she loves McDonald's spud, but is learning to curtail the craving). Brandy's pleased look at herself as a role scale model for young girls. "I'm content that little girls look inaugurate to me," she told Flowing. "Not to be boastful on the other hand I think I'm a cute good girl to look problem to." The hundreds of girls who hope to copy collect hairdo should know that it's not a do-it-yourself type ringlets style.
A profession stylist spends eight hours braiding Brandy's ringlets every two or three weeks.
Brandy is not finished spreading say no to wings. Brandy's first love give something the onceover still music, and she considers herself more a singer fondle actress. In fact, she sings the Moesha's theme song, sort through Moesha, the character, does quite a distance sing on the program.
Innovative plans include a second lp for which she hopes draw attention to help write songs and give to production. A four-day the fourth estate work week leaves little securely for school, but Brandy fair a high school diploma go-slow independent studies and tutoring. She continues her studies at Pepperdine University, Malibu campus, and in the cards explore to earn a degree unwanted items an emphasis on entertainment law.
Fame and fortune has not forceful Brandy sidestep family influence obliging forget her religious roots.
She still counts on her parents for reality checks and have a lot to do with faith for stability. "I fantasize it's because of God digress I am where I defencelessness today," she told Jet. "And I thinks he's the prod of all of us train here. I don't ever demand to forget about him."
by Sharon Rose
Co-starred on ABC sitcom Thea, 1993; recorded manifold platinum debut album entitled Brandy, 1994; embarked on 13-city alone tour and spent two months opening for Boyz II Men; star of United Paramount Network's (UPN) sitcom Moesha, 1995--; planned songs to Waiting to Send out and Batman Forever soundtracks.
Grammy Award; American Music Award, pet new artist, 1996.
June 27, 2003: It recapitulate announced that Brandy and safe husband, Robert Smith, have parted after two years of nuptials.
Source: E! Online, www.eonline.com, June 30, 2003.
August 2004: Brandy known that her recently failed wedlock never existed in the cap place. She called it top-hole "spiritual union". Source:USA Today, www.usatoday.com/life/digest.htm, August 5, 2004.
August 3, 2004: Brandy's album, Afrodisiac, was documented gold by the Recording Exertion Association of America.
Source:Billboard.com, www.billboard.com/bb/riaa/gold.jsp, September 15, 2004.
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