Long before we pledged Twilight allegiance to Team Jacob or Team Edward, there was a pop culture moment that required teens to take sides. It was 1998, and the contenders were singers: Monica, who had sung gospel since the age of 10 and whose short haircut left me awestruck; and a braided angel, a mortal with an immortal voice and the sweetest smile you ever saw. Brandy was everything I wanted to be.
Brandy’s debut single, I Wanna Be Down, was perfect for a 12-year-old who read Just Seventeen and wanted more than anything to be a grownup. She sounded like she could be your friend, and looked like it, too: her playful braids were a symbol of something wholesome – no sleek weave or mature pixie cut for her. When she starred in teen sitcom Moesha, I watched it without hesitation. And when she played Cinderella (with Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother!), it felt right. But her singing voice is what keeps me enraptured. Brandy’s runs and riffs call for gospel choir-level control; her laments about unsure boyfriends and persevering through a broken heart take on new depths when she sings about them. Joining up with Monica’s cooler tones led to one of the all-time great duets, The Boy Is Mine. Motherhood, “divorce” (her ex denied they were ever married), a horrible car accident, career slump and a resurgence, a spell as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway. At 37, Brandy has been through it all.
Last month, she played the Black Girls Rock awards show, showcasing that signature vocal discipline. And now she has a new sitcom, Zoe Ever After, about a single mother with a famous ex. Brandy is one of that all too rare breed of child star: those who make it. I’m so glad she did.
