“Just for that to be something that she can work toward is a beautiful thing.”. “That was a scary time. “It’s her, actually, that sings: ‘It’s me who validates me,’” said Brandy. In 1996, Norwood began starring in the UPN sitcom Moeshaas the title charact… 1 on the Independent albums chart. I can’t imagine what your teen years were like, especially having a foot in both those worlds. It was so freeing for me, because I did get a chance to really dig in and write from my heart of hearts. She can take her time with it, she can be known a little bit right now and then grow in privacy and then come out a little bit later. NEW YORK (AP) — When Brandy began crafting her newest album nearly three years ago, her intent was both benevolent and selfish. From there, I really wanted to create a body of work. Brandy Norwood has returned with her first album in eight years, simply titled 'B7'. Trauma definitely comes along with that, but I was able to overcome that and I’m able to look back on my past with a lot of compassion and no regrets. Brandy was just 15 years old when her 1994 multiplatinum eponymous debut made her a star. Is it going to be that?” I just wanted to be honest, and I just wanted to see what it would be like to just write my own story. The “Top of the World” hitmaker became a music icon back in the 1990s and still has a huge following. Find Brandy discography, albums and singles on AllMusic. Brandy talks Kanye, Whitney and her first album in eight years Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony canceled, will be replaced with special Greatness recognizes greatness. She wanted to give R&B fans the timeless music she’s been synonymous with, while also gain liberation from emotional bondage. Stream Brandy Clark's New Album, 'Your Life Is A Record' "I went through a breakup of a 15-year relationship. Sign up for our newsletter. Just to hear her doing so many different harmonies, it’s like, “Wow, she’s really been listening! Finally, a question that I’ve seen pop up a lot on-line: Do you have any insight on why your breakthrough film Cinderella is not yet on Disney+?I absolutely don’t have any insight into that! “This is a heartbreak album, on top of me also finding my voice, finding my self-love,” the R&B star said. Brandi Carlile is the debut album from American folk rock singer Brandi Carlile. If I can’t use music to heal my own life?” Brandy questioned as she became emotional. So exciting just to hear what she can do in the booth and how quick she is, and how her musicality is. “Saving All My Love” — a title referencing her mentor, the legend Whitney Houston — opens the album as Brandy explains her absence: “Sorry for my tardy/Long time/I was brokenhearted/Heartache, I’m guarded.”, “I had to get my heart together. About Brandy Since emerging with her 3x-platinum self-titled debut album in 1994 (released when Brandy was only 15-years-old), this trail-blazing pioneer has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide Released on her new imprint Brand Nu Entertainment, “B7” is Brandy’s first independent album. I love the way we blend. Chameleon Entertainment, her former label, claimed she breached her contract by releasing music without their permission, while she countersued over unpaid production costs. I still remember enjoying I Wanna Be Down so many years ago. It debuted at No. By the 2000s, Brandy’s musical output became more ambitious, but she was soon plagued with label troubles that led to an eight year hiatus following 2012’s Two Eleven. Born into a musical family, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist for teen groups. Brandy Releases First Album in 8 Years: Listen to b7 Congratulations are in order for Brandy ! By the release of 1998’s Never Say Never, she was on her way to becoming a full-fledged film star as well, after starring in the Whitney Houston-produced Cinderella adaptation. Brandy Releases First LP in Eight Years, Says It's Her 'Most Personal Album to Date' this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Brandy ’s ascent in the Nineties was meteoric. “She could really have done this album by herself.”. I love what “High Heels” is about, and how empowering it is. and Daniel Caesar come to mind as young stars who have cited your music specifically as reasons why they do what they do.You know what? Brandy bravely opens up about "scary time" in her life and says her daughter helped inspire her to persevere. She also hints at past possible substance abuse on “Lucid Dreams,” a dreamy, minimalistic track where she lulls, “Got demons to tame (illusions)/Maybe it’s a daze/Got worse over time/I was always high.”, “I wasn’t with the person that I wanted to be with, so I was with this person when I fell asleep. I went to Broadway, and Broadway was an eye-opener for me. And I had to face a lot of things about myself that I never thought I could.”. She’s really inspired!” This is something that she’s born to do. By ELYSE DUPRE JUL 31, 2020 11:35 AMTAGS Paul Archuleta/Getty Images. Following “Moesha,” she became the first Black actress to portray “Cinderella” on-screen and she also had her own Barbie Doll. Brandy’s New Album ‘B7′ is Out Now – Listen Here! And it is an album of pure R&B goodness that hits all the sweet spots and serves as the perfect reminder to anyone that may have forgotten just what a gifted singer and songwriter Brandy has always been. The 15-track album … Released on her new imprint Brand Nu Entertainment, “B7” is Brandy’s first independent album. Want more Rolling Stone? It’s beautiful. The Nashville artist put out an album in March 2020, right when the pandemic was starting to shut everything down. [Brandy played Roxie Hart in Chicago during several stints between 2015 and 2017] I had never felt so inspired the way I felt when I was on Broadway, I felt so free every night when I was performing. The 41-year-old singer dropped her seventh studio album b7 on Friday, which fans had been patiently waiting for.After all, the last album she released was Two Eleven in 2012. I was supported by my writing team and my producers, they were open to just supporting me in this amazing journey. “At the start of it, I could tell she was super self-conscious about her ideas … because I don’t know if anyone’s ever instilled that confidence in her writing. As Brandy prepared for the release while self-isolating in Los Angeles with her family, she spoke with Rolling Stone about what it took to get to this moment. And so, I was addicted to being asleep, and that was just not a healthy place for me,” she explained pensively. This is a good album, but probably my least favourite Brandy album. Beginning of dialog window. Four years later she released her second album, Never Say Never, which hit No. We want to hear from you! Brandy is making grown woman’s R&B on her new LP, “B7,” her seventh studio album — and her first since 2012. Pure Musical Perfection. I really wanted to get myself in a place where I could feel I could be creatively free. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. I want to watch her grow and be here for her every step of the way. I went forward in that light and I was able to team up with eOne and create my own imprint, my own label from there and start the process of creating, ‘Game of Thrones’ Actress Esmé Bianco Accuses Marilyn Manson of Physical Abuse, Gina Carano Dropped from ‘Mandalorian’ Following ‘Abhorrent’ Social Media Posts, Jeep Pulls Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl Ad Following DWI Revelation, Rebecca Black Celebrates 10 Years of ‘Friday’ With Remix Featuring Big Freedia, 3OH!3, Dorian Electra, New CDC Research Says Double-Masking Could Be Effective Against Covid-19, The Last Word: Dionne Warwick on the Joys of Twitter and the Advice That Shaped Her Career, This Live ‘Rhiannon’ Is Stevie Nicks at Her Witchiest, Britney Spears’ Boyfriend Speaks Out Against Singer’s Father: ‘Jamie Is a Total Dick’. From there, I started to go into the studio again and record. “Put It Down” feat. “It’s really coming to terms with your own strength,” Brandy said of “High Heels,” which Sy’rai co-wrote. The album features new limits in Brandy’s voice (thanks to her inspirations such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston) and discusses the theme of sensual feelings. It feels good to give in this way, in my own truth. 3 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart and No. I feel like it’s really me, it’s really who I am. I’m thankful for the life that I’ve had and for the things I’ve been able to experience. Brandy has detailed her new album, b7, which is out July 31 via Brand Nu Entertainment/eOne. What would I want it to sound like? At 41, Brandy is also continuing to work on herself. How would I want to express myself? I have no idea why isn’t it on Disney+. One of the features on the album is your own daughter, who sings on “High Heels” with you. She said being vulnerable and open in her music has gotten her close to truly feeling liberated. I really appreciate those artists for mentioning me and just being influenced by me. 1 for an astounding 13 weeks. If I can’t be honest within my own lyrics? Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The sound of the album … And I feel like my life is so much better.”, “B7,” released last month, marks a triumphant return for the singer whose previous album dropped eight years ago. That message of self-validation is one that she constantly injects into her 18-year-old daughter. I remember the rest of the album less clearly, but Movin’ On, Baby, Brokenhearted and Sunny Day are also nice. Congratulations are in order for Brandy!. After an eight-year hiatus, Brandy has returned to music with her seventh album "B7," which released July 31 via her record label Brand Nu and eOne Urban. It debuted at No. I just felt so free just being able to just use music as a way to just purge. I had to get my mind together,” said Brandy, who had her journal open during this interview with The Associated Press. It feels like the work that I have put in, all of the time that I spent on trying my best to master my craft and trying the best to choose the right songs and come up with the right titles and the right harmonies and the right ad-libs, and everything that I’ve put into building a unique sound for myself. It just poured out of me so naturally, and I trusted it. by: Eric Torres; July 21 2020. I think that she’s just growing to be a incredible young artist and I’m just here for it. The R&B legend dropped her … Brandy is back! I had to find that type of bravery, and I finally got to a place where I did, and I’m so grateful for that. It always feels good to be acknowledged in that way, and it feels like the work that I’ve done is recognized and it’s not in vain. Mental health is at the center of “Borderline” and on the raw closing track, “Bye BiPolar,” she sings of a love gone terribly wrong (Brandy said she hasn’t been diagnosed). The 15-track album … She doesn’t have to follow the same path. The singer finally announced the tracklist for her first album in eight years, b7 , set to release July 31. She’s just so talented. This teenage R&B singer hit the Top Ten late in 1994 with "I Wanna Be Down," a … Chris Brown | 'Two Eleven' (2012) As the lead single from Brandy’s sixth studio … Brandi Carlile I can just teach her different things that I didn’t know at that time. Even though you were dealing with a lot of personal issues following Two Eleven, it seemed like there was a lot of legacy-building happening thanks to a new class of R&B and pop stars who have cited you directly. by: Madison Bloom; May 1 2020. I went forward in that light and I was able to team up with eOne and create my own imprint, my own label from there and start the process of creating B7. When would you say that the process for this album started for you?I feel like it started about three years ago. I had a good time with her and I want to continue to do music with her. Is it going to be this? Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way': Much Better Than 'Express Yourself'. 3 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart and No. Another part of Brandy’s ’90s life is having a moment in 2020: Her sitcom “Moesha” was added to Netflix this month to much fanfare. In 2012, Monica's seventh album New Life was released to moderate sales. Following the release of her self-titled debut, which spawned an early hit with the single “Baby,” she landed a starring role on the popular sitcom Moesha. It just seemed like I was going into a different part of myself, discovering things about myself I didn’t really hone (in on) before.”, “What’s the point of doing music if I can’t tell my story? She worked on the album with the songwriting master and mentor, the late LaShawn Daniels, producer DJ Camper (H.E.R., Mary J. Blige) and songwriter Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk, who contributed to nine tracks on the album. I didn’t get a chance to make private mistakes and really discover my own voice without having to deal with everyone else’s voices and thoughts and opinions about the things that I was doing. Brandy Clark is known for her vivid character sketches. What was the original plan after Two Eleven? That’s hope that maybe Disney can come on up and scoop up Cinderella. I really don’t like that it took me this long, but I’m glad that I didn’t rush it because when you’ve been absent from music for so long you want to make sure that it’s your best work. Her sophomore LP would feature “The Boy Is Mine,” a massive duet with Monica that would become a karaoke staple, and her film appearances became bigger in the years following her Disney debut. It’s why, for the first time, the Grammy winner co-wrote every song on the album and co-produced the majority of the project. Following the release of her self-titled debut, which spawned an early hit with the single “Baby,” … Brandy is back with new music after eight years! “I don’t need others to validate me like I used to.”. Along with creating your own imprint, you also reclaimed independence as a writer on this album. Scroll to listen. All by itself, just because it’s Whitney Houston. Brandy released her new album b7 on Friday, her first album since 2012's Two Eleven. Solange, Frank Ocean, H.E.R. Brandy says she doesn’t know the full impact she’s had on today’s R&B music. Brandy released her new album b7 on Friday, her first album since 2012’s Two Eleven.Scroll to listen. … What was the experience like for you?To be able take on a lot of the writing, it felt so natural for me because it felt like music for me was a way for me to just get so much out, so much of my story, so much of what I wanted to say. After an eight-year hiatus, Brandy has returned to music with her seventh album “B7,” which released July 31 via her record label Brand Nu and eOne Urban. Some of those experiences, as well as her journey of motherhood, inspired songs on “B7” like the up-tempo bop “Baby Mama” and “High Heels,” featuring that same daughter, Sy’rai, now all grown-up. Its four singles, including lead single "It All Belongs to Me", another duet with Brandy, failed to achieve any Billboard Hot 100 entry.